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SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL  OF  ARTS 

AND  LITERATURE  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE 

OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

(the  GRADtTATE  DIVINITY  SCHOOL:    KELIGIOUS  EDUCATION) 


BY 

WILLIAM  NORMAN  HUTCHINS 


Reprinted  with  additions  from 

The  Biblical  World,  Vol.  XLIV,  No.  2 

Chicago,  1 91 4 

Copyrighted  1914  by  the  University  0/  Chicago 


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SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL  OF  ARTS 

AND  LITERATURE  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE 

OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

(the  graduate  divinity  school:  religious  education) 


BY 

WILLIAM  NORMAN  HUTCHINS 


Reprinted  with  additions  from 

The  Biblical  World,  Vol.  XLIV,  No.  2 

Chicago,  1 91 4 

Copyrighted  1914  by  the  University  oj  Chicago 


Hs- 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Clilcaifo  Press 

ChicuKO.  UlUiols,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    The  Essential  Quality  of  Social  Service 65 

II.    Dangers  in  Social  Service       73 

III.  Types  of  Social  Service 79 

§  I.  Seasonal 79 

§  2.  Casual 79 

§  3.  Organized 81 

§4.  Affiliated 84 

§  5.  Personal 85 

§  6.  Gifts 87 

IV.  Significant  Programs  of  Social  Service 89 

§  I.  Christ  Church,  Chicago 89 

§  2.  Hyde  Park  Baptist  Church,  Chicago 93 

§  3.  Church  of  the  Disciples,  Boston 96 

§  4.  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Buffalo 97 

§  5.  Winnetka  Congregational  Church 99 

§  6.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Program ^     .      .  102 

§  7.  Summary 103 

V.    Education  in  Money-Giving 105 

§1.  Educational  Principles  in  Benevolence 105 

§  2.  Current  Methods  of  Sunday-School  Benevolence    ....  108 

§3.  Missionary  Leaflets 113 

VI.    Values  in  Social  Service 118 

§1.  Testimony  of  Sunday-School  Workers    .......  118 

§  2.  A  Study  of  Personal  Reactions 121 

§  3.  The  Popularity  of  Social  Service 122 

§4.  Motives  in  Social  Service 125 

§  5.  Reflex  Influence  of  Social  Service 127 

§  6.  Social  Service  and  the  Emotions 130 

VII.    A  Suggested  Curriculum  of  Social  Service 133 

§1.  Objects  of  Social  Service i33 

§  2.  Social  Service  and  Special  Occasions i35 

§  3.  The  Kindergarten  Department 138 

§  4.  The  Primary  Department 138 

§  5.  The  Junior  Department 14° 

§  6.  The  High-School  Department I43 

§  7.  The  Young  People's  Department 146 

iii 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Addams,  Jane.    Democracy  and  Social  Ethics.    New  York:  Macmillan,  1902. 

.     Newer  Ideals  of  Peace.     New  York:   Macmillan,  1907. 

Ames,  Edward  Scribner.     The  Psychology  of  Religious  Experience.     Boston: 
Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1910. 

.     "Social  Consciousness  and  Its  Object,"  Psychological  Bulletin,  VIII, 

No.  12  (December  15,  191 1). 

Cooley,  Charles  Horton.    Human  Nature  and  the  Social  Order.     New  York: 
Scribner,  1902. 

.     Social  Organization:    A   Study  of  the  Larger  Mind.     New   York: 

Scribner,  1909. 

Elwood,    Charles  A.    Sociology  in   Its   Psychological  Aspects.     New   York: 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  191 2. 

Hammond,  Juliet.     A  Problem  in  the  Psychology  of  Social  Work.     (Master's 
Dissertation,  University  of  Chicago,  1911.) 

Mead,  George  H.     "Social  Psychology  as  Counterpart  to  Physiological  Psy- 
chology," Psychological  Bulletin,  VI  (December,  1909),  401-8. 

■ .     "Social  Consciousness  and  the  Consciousness  of  Meaning,"  Psy- 
chological Bulletin,  VII  (December,  1910),  397-405. 
■ .     "The  Social  Self,"  Journal  of  Philosophy,  Psychology  and  Scientific 


Method,  X,  No.  14  (July  3,  1913). 


IV 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  ESSENTI.\L  QUALITY  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  present  data  concerning  social 
service  in  the  Sunday  school.  Moved  ahke  by  the  pervasive  social 
spirit  of  the  times  and  the  long-recognized  need  of  providing  some 
expressive  activities  for  their  young  people,  religious  leaders  here 
and  there  throughout  the  country  have  been  gradually  introducing 
social  service  into  the  Sunday  school  as  material  for  religious  educa- 
tion. While  the  movement  has  awakened  wide  interest  and  kindled 
much  enthusiasm,  no  one  seems  to  know  how  far  it  has  progressed, 
what  it  has  accomplished,  or  what  assured  solutions  it  offers  to  the 
problem  of  religious  education.  As  there  has  been  no  canvass  of  the 
situation,  and  consequently  no  assembling  of  experience,  it  has  been 
necessary  for  each  leader  to  work  out  his  own  program  and  develop 
his  own  technique,  and  while  these  good  people  have  often  felt  that 
there  were  other  forms  of  significant  service  in  which  their  young 
people  ought  to  engage,  they  have  not  known  where  to  find  them  or 
to  whom  to  turn  for  information.  With  the  hope  not  only  of  secur- 
ing and  presenting  this  desired  information,  but  of  accomplishing 
also  the  larger  task  of  working  out  a  curriculum  of  social  service  that 
might  be  experimentally  tried  out,  this  study  was  undertaken.  Its 
specific  aim  was  to  ascertain  what  forms  of  service  are  in  use,  what 
technique  is  employed  in  carrying  out  a  program  of  social  service, 
what  opportunity  the  average  Sunday  school  has  to  engage  in  wel- 
fare efforts,  what  values  have  been  discovered,  what  attitude  the 
young  people  assume  toward  this  new  form  of  religious  education, 
what  motives  are  at  work,  what  the  reflex  influence  is,  what  means 
are  taken  to  make  benevolent  offerings  vital  and  significant,  and 
how  far  it  is  possible  to  project  a  graded  program  of  social  service. 
The  sources  of  this  study,  the  technique  employed,  and  the  results 
obtained  will  be  given  in  connection  with  each  separate  study. 

It  is  fairly  well  accepted  that  education  is  a  social  process,  and 
needs  to  be  interpreted  by  established  facts  regarding  the  inter- 
actions of  mind  with  mind.  Whenever  this  is  recognized  we  see  at 
once  the  significance  of  those  units  of  society  called  primary  groups. 

6s 


0(i  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

In  primary'  groups,  like  the  family,  the  play  group  of  children, 
and  the  neighborhood  group,  with  their  intimate  association  and 
co-operation,  every  member  enters  more  or  less  completely  into  the 
life  of  every  other  member.  Through  constant  intercourse  in  the 
various  activities  of  life  they  acquire  the  imagery  which  enables 
them  to  assume  each  other's  roles.  This  makes  possible  com- 
munion, insight,  the  sharing  of  the  mental  state  of  others.  This 
does  not  mean  that  all  the  members  of  a  primar}'  group  are  just 
alike.  In  fact,  the  opposite  seems  to  be  nearer  the  truth.  Were 
all  the  individuals  precisely  alike,  the  distinction  between  ego  and 
alteri  would  never  come  to  consciousness.  The  primar}--  group,  as 
Professor  Cooley  says,  "is  always  a  differentiated  and  usually  a 
competitive  unity  admitting  of  self-assertion,  and  various  appro- 
priative  passions,  but  these  passions  are  socialized  by  synnpathy, 
and  come,  or  tend  to  come,  under  the  discipline  of  a  common 
spirit."^  In  the  primary  group  differentiation  is  based  on  function. 
The  various  members  of  the  group  have  different  tasks  to  perform, 
but  there  is  no  definite  conflict,  for  all  the  instincts,  including  those 
of  hostility,  are  so  organized  that  rivalry  or  competition  is  of  value 
to  the  group. 

Now  the  socializing  process  is  essentially  the  process  of  enlarging 
these  primary  groups  so  that  we  come  into  full  human  relations 
with  a  larger  and  larger  number  of  persons.  In  his  Human  Nature 
and  the  Social  Order,  Professor  Cooley  has  shown  how  the  personal 
idea  is  the  real  person: 

The  personality  of  a  friend,  as  it  lives  in  my  mind  and  forms  there  a  part 
of  the  society  in  which  I  live,  is  simply  a  group  or  system  of  thoughts  associated 
with  the  symbols  that  stand  for  him.  To  think  of  him  is  to  revive  some  part 
of  the  system — to  have  the  old  feeling  along  with  the  familiar  symbol,  though 
perhaps  in  a  new  connection  with  other  ideas.  The  real  and  intimate  thing 
in  him  is  the  thought  to  which  he  gives  life,  the  feeling  his  presence  or  memory 
has  the  power  to  suggest.  Thus  the  face  of  a  friend  has  power  over  us  in  much 
the  same  way  as  the  sight  of  a  favorite  book,  of  the  Hag  of  one's  country,  or  the 
refrain  of  an  old  song;  it  starts  a  train  of  thought,  lifts  the  curtain  from  an 
intimate  experience.^ 

The  socializing  process  is,  therefore,  no  mere  matter  of  physical 
contacts,  or  the  multiplying  of  acquaintances.     It  calls  for  social 

'  C.  H.  Cooley,  Social  Organizalion,  p.  23. 

'  C.  H.  Cooley,  Human  Nature  and  the  Social  Order,  p.  81. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  67 

imagination.  It  is  mediated  by  the  insight  which  enables  us  to 
understand  other  persons,  to  enter  into  their  systems  of  thought, 
to  take  up  and  share  their  sentiments  and  symbols.  It  involves 
appreciation,  effective  interpretation  of  other  minds,  and,  not  by 
any  means  the  least,  co-operation  for  a  common  end. 

Every  agency,  then,  that  facihtates  s>Tnpathy,  gives  vividness 
to  the  imagination,  and  fosters  co-operative  endeavor,  performs  a 
socializing  function.  It  is  the  unifying,  fusing  character  of  the 
family,  with  its  fine  insight  and  common  purposes,  that  makes  it  an 
outstanding  socializing  force. 

A  congenial  family  is  the  immemorial  type  of  moral  unity,  and  source  of 
many  terms — such  as  brotherhood,  kindness,  and  the  like — which  describe  it. 
The  members  become  merged  by  intimate  association  into  a  whole  wherein  each 
age  and  sex  participates  in  its  own  way.  Each  lives  in  imaginative  contacts 
with  the  minds  of  the  others,  and  finds  in  them  the  dwelling-place  of  the  social 
self,  of  his  affections,  ambitions,  resentments,  and  standards  of  right  and  wrong. 
Without  uniformity,  there  is  yet  unity,  a  free,  pleasant,  wholesome,  fruitful 
common  life.^ 

So  the  school  may  be  spoken  of  as  a  socializing  agency,  because  it 
not  only  transmits  to  each  succeeding  generation  the  spiritual  pos- 
sessions of  the  race,  but  through  this  heritage  tends  to  enlist  the 
sympathy  and  co-operation  of  people  in  worthy  social  ends. 
Geography,  histor}%  biography,  literature,  art,  and  science  all  help 
us  to  a  fuller  understanding  and  a  more  appreciative  interpretation 
of  other  persons,  and  whenever  the  social  values  of  the  curriculum 
have  been  given  efficient  recognition  the  school  has  been  a  socializ- 
ing force.  But  the  socializing  process  comes  to  its  best,  in  the 
school,  not  through  formal  instruction,  but  through  the  develop- 
ment of  a  genuine  community  life,  through  the  correlation  of  the 
didactic  elements  with  vocational  interests,  the  organization  of 
play,  and  the  establishment  of  self-government.  The  warm,  inti- 
mate, vital  association  which  develops  in  a  neighborhood  group 
has  many  illustrations,  but  no  finer  or  more  impressive  one  than 
is  furnished  by  the  immigrants  in  the  poorer  quarters  of  a  cosmo- 
politan city.  Reduced  to  the  universal  necessities  and  fundamental 
equalities  of  human  life,  hedged  in  by  a  life  that  is  new,  strange, 
perplexing  in  so  many  of  its  expressions,  they  draw  the  closer  to 

'  C.  H.  Cooley,  Social  Organization,  p.  34. 


68  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

each  other  and  fonn  associations  which  call  for  the  finest  and  high- 
est qualities  of  character.  Knowing  these  groups  as  few  others  do 
and  interpreting  their  significance  as  few  others  are  able,  Jane 
Addams  has  said: 

In  the  midst  of  the  modern  city  which,  at  moments,  seems  to  stand  only 
for  the  triumph  of  the  strongest,  the  successful  exploitation  of  the  weak,  the 
ruthlessness  and  hidden  crime  which  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  struggle  for 
existence  on  its  lowest  terms,  there  come  daily — at  least  to  American  cities — 
accretions  of  simple  people,  who  carry  in  their  hearts  a  desire  for  mere  goodness. 
They  regularly  deplete  their  scanty  livelihood  in  response  to  a  primitive  pity, 
and,  independent  of  the  religions  thej^  have  professed,  of  the  wrongs  they  have 
sufTered,  and  of  the  fixed  morality  they  have  been  taught,  have  an  unquenchable 
desire  that  charity  and  simple  justice  shall  regulate  men's  relations.  It  seems 
sometimes,  to  one  who  knows  them,  as  if  they  continually  sought  for  an  outlet 
for  more  kindliness,  and  that  they  are  not  only  willing  and  eager  to  do  a  favor 
for  a  friend,  but  that  their  kind-heartedness  lies  in  ambush,  as  it  were,  for  a 
chance  to  incorporate  itself  in  our  larger  relations,  that  they  persistently  expect 
that  it  shall  be  given  some  form  of  governmental  expression.' 

So  ever}^  institution  is  a  sociahzing  institution  that  helps  us  to  pass 
into  the  life  of  other  persons,  to  regard  them  as  full  human  beings, 
to,  merge  our  energies  and  efforts  for  some  commanding  purpose. 

Now  in  this  sense,  and  as  one  among  many  other  institutions, 
the  Sunday  school  has  always  promoted  the  socialization  of  its 
members.  It  has  always  been  a  place  in  which  face-to-face  asso- 
ciations have  been  cultivated  and  more  or  less  definite  social  ends 
have  been  set  before  the  group.  Through  its  hymns,  its  stories,  its 
great  biographies,  and  its  dramatization  of  significant  events  in  the 
history  of  another  people,  it  has  fed  the  social  imagination  and  made 
for  breadth  of  vision  and  a  fine  enrichment  of  sentiments  and  ideals. 
While  it  may  not  be  clearly  apprehended  by  all  who  undertake  its 
tasks,  rehgious  education  is  essentially  a  socializing  process  and 
therefore  as  an  institution  for  furthering  the  process  of  religious 
education  the  Sunday  school  of  necessity  has  exerted  a  socializing 
influence. 

The  introduction  of  social  service  into  the  Sunday  school  must, 
therefore,  be  regarded  as  an  extension  of  a  function  which  it  has 
always  performed.  The  aim  of  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school 
is  to  socialize  the  young  people,  to  de\Tlop  their  powers  of  sympa- 
thetic imagination  and  friendly  co-operation,  and  this  it  does  by 

'  Jane  Addams,  New  Ideals  oj  Peace,  \)\^.  12,  13. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  69 

promoting,  enriching,  vitalizing  personal  relations  with  other 
groups.  The  belief  in  the  value  of  social  service,  therefore,  rests 
upon  a  thoroughgoing  belief  in  the  social  character  of  mind,  and 
since  the  recognition  of  this  fact  is  of  the  greatest  importance  we 
shall  attempt  to  set  it  forth  somewhat  at  length. 

The  field  of  social  psychology  is  "human  conduct,"  conduct 
representing  the  reaction  of  a  human  being.  Modern  psychology 
starts  with  both  the  individual  and  his  environment.  It  is  regarded 
as  necessary  to  determine  what  the  environment  is,  in  order  to  use 
that  knowledge  for  interpreting  the  conduct  of  the  individual.  The 
physical  environment  is  revealed  to  us  through  the  senses;  the 
immediate  through  contact,  in  part,  and  the  distant  through  vision, 
hearing,  smell,  and  the  sensation  of  temperature.  In  all  of  an  indi- 
vidual's movements  reference  to  distant  objects  is  implied.  To  aid 
his  movements  he  makes  use  of  the  environment  with  which  he  is 
in  contact.  All  movements  of  approach  or  withdrawal  are  made 
in  anticipation  of  new  contacts.  The  distant  object  always  repre- 
sents a  peculiar  sort  of  contact,  that  of  manipulation,  and  as  a 
general  abstract  statement  all  physical  conduct  may  be  said  to  have 
as  its  goal  manipulation. 

It  is  the  social,  not  the  physical,  environment,  however,  which  is 
of  most  significance.  The  objects  of  prime  importance  to  the 
human  animal  are  other  animals  of  the  same  species.  Some  of 
these  have  a  special  attraction  for  him  which  is  as  marked  as  is  the 
aversion  with  which  lower  animals  view  those  forms  which  prey 
upon  them.  We  are  familiar  with  the  conduct  of  the  child  with 
reference  to  the  parent  form.  We  know  how  it  expresses  itself  in 
the  cuddling  response  to  the  warmth  of  the  parent's  body.  The 
attitude  taken  by  one  form  is  responded  to  immediately,  instinc- 
tively, by  the  other  form,  and  this  is  true  whether  the  attitude  be  of 
a  protective  or  of  a  v/arning  nature.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  different 
set  of  stimuli  and  a  different  set  of  responses  from  those  found  in 
the  field  of  "physical  conduct,"  conduct  with  reference  to  "physical 
environment."  The  fact  that  they  are  animals  of  the  same  species 
gives  peculiar  value  to  these  stimuli  and  responses.  They  mean 
more  than  mere  physical  stimuli  or  mere  physical  responses.  They 
are  attitudes.  It  is  important  to  get  this  distinction  between  "  physi- 
cal conduct"   and   "social  conduct"  clearly  in  mind.     Physical 


70  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

stimuli  are  relatively  stable,  and  so  far  as  physical  objects  are 
concerned  we  usually  act  without  awareness  of  the  act.  A  reaction 
once  set  up  can  become  habitual  and  sink  below  the  threshold  of 
consciousness  just  because  the  physical  object  is  relatively  stable. 
But  the  social  object  is  continually  changing  and  therefore  stimula- 
tion and  response  are  continually  changing  in  social  acts.  It  is  in 
the  field  of  "social  conduct"  that  gesture  plays  its  part.  Gesture 
reveals  what  the  other  is  going  to  do.  When  two  animals  or  per- 
sons approach  each  other  each  controls  his  own  conduct  of  offense 
or  defense  by  the  attitude  of  the  other.  A  picturesque  illustration 
of  this  "conversation  of  gestures,"  the  parrying  that  goes  on,  is 
given  by  two  men  boxing  or  fencing.  The  same  thing  takes  place 
in  vocal  conversation.  By  the  expression  of  the  face  we  know  what 
the  other  person  is  going  to  say  and  our  own  response  is  immediate 
and  instinctive.  These  gestures,  whether  facial  or  vocal,  are  the 
beginnings  of  social  acts. 

Social  conduct,  as  we  have  described  it,  does  not  of  necessity 
involve  consciousness  of  self.  It  is  quite  possible  for  the  atten- 
tion to  be  centered  upon  the  incipient  acts  of  the  other,  without 
our  being  aware  of  their  significance.  Consciousness  of  meaning 
comes  only  from  awareness  of  our  response.  But  such  gestures  as 
are  involved  in  bodily  attitudes  or  expressions  of  the  countenance 
we  are  not  ordinarily  aware  of  in  ourselves.  We  are,  however, 
aware  of  pantomimic  and  vocal  gesture.  When  we  shake  our  heads 
or  double  up  our  fists  we  see  ourselves  do  it;  when  we  shout  we 
hear  ourselves.  Thus  we  become  aware  of  what  we  are  doing,  and 
of  ourselves.  But  this  consciousness  of  self  is  first  of  all  a  con- 
sciousness of  others  as  over  against  ourselves.  In  using  social  ges- 
tures, in  the  highly  developed  form  of  language,  and  in  being  aware 
of  them  we  in  a  sense  respond  to  them.  We  are  aware  of  what  we 
say  and  of  what  it  means,  and  thus  we  are  in  the  position  of  the 
other  listening  to  ourselves.  We  are  taking  the  role  of  the  other. 
We  are  aware  of  the  effect  of  our  act  upon  him,  and  see  ourselves 
from  his  point  of  view.  In  thus  standing  off  and  looking  at  our- 
selves the  subjectivity  has  been  transferred  to  the  other. 

This  possibility  of  taking  the  part  of  another  has  its  basis  pri- 
marily in  the  presence  of  simikir,  if  not  identical,  impulses  in  both 
the  ego  and  the  alteri.     There  is  no  innate  tendenc}'  to  do  what 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  71 

another  person  is  doing,  but  there  is  a  tendency  for  the  individual 
to  respond  to  his  own  stimuH  as  others  do.  Two  men,  for  instance, 
have  impulses  to  produce  certain  sounds.  These  sounds  contain 
certain  phonetic  elements  that  are  identical.  In  the  conversation 
of  vocal  gestures  those  elements  in  A's  response  to  B's  stimulation 
which  are  like  the  phonetic  elements  in  the  latter  are  given  promi- 
nence, emphasized,  and  gradually  selected  to,  at  least,  the  partial 
exclusion  of  non-identical  elements.  A  similar  process  goes  on  with 
the  pantomimic  gestures  and  even  with  the  bodily  attitudes  and 
expressions  of  countenance.  In  these  processes  an  imagery  is  built 
up  which  enables  us  to  assume  the  roles  which  others  have  taken  in 
the  past.  The  process,  however,  does  not  cease  with  recalling  the 
past.  On  the  basis  of  present  stimuli  we  endeavor  to  imagine  how 
the  other  person  would  act  or  what  he  would  say  under  the  given 
conditions.  We  indulge  in  an  inner  conversation,  taking  now  the 
part  associated  with  the  self,  and  now  the  part  of  the  alter,  assuming 
his  attitude  and  speaking  for  him.  It  is  by  some  such  process  as 
this  that  we  get  acquainted  with  people,  and  also  get  acquainted 
with  ourselves;  that  is,  we  become  self-conscious.  Only  in  taking 
the  role  of  another  do  we  set  ourselves  up  as  an  object  and  only  by 
this  process  do  we  enter  into  the  life  of  our  community. 

What  does  all  this  mean  to  our  problem  ?  Much,  indeed,  which 
one  hopes  may  be  fully  recognized.  For  if  '^  our  minds  are  fashioned 
in  a  social  medium  and  our  intellectual  operations  are  conversations 
from  first  to  last,"'  then  social  service  will  take  its  place  in  the 
Sunday  school  as  a  socializing  agency  only  as  it  is  accompanied  by 
an  interplay  of  life  that  issues  in  establishing  full  human  relations 
with  other  groups.  Let  it  be  said  with  all  stress  that  social  service  in- 
volves infinitely  more  than  merely  engaging  in  desirable  philanthropic 
endeavors.  Worthy  of  our  effort  as  they  may  be,  serving  the  poor, 
taking  flowers  to  the  sick,  making  games  for  little  children,  are  not 
the  heart  of  social  service.  All  such  activities  are  only  means  to  an 
end  and  only  as  they  are  directed  to  and  realize  that  end,  which  is 
the  socialization  of  those  participating  in  them,  may  they  be 
regarded  as  social  service.  The  value  of  such  activities  is  found  in 
the  fulness  and  wealth  of  experience  which  they  mediate,  in  the 
intimate  associations  which  they  beget,  in  the  clearer  vision  of  the 

'  E.  S.  Ames,  Psychological  Bulletin,  VIII,  No.  12  (December  15,  1911),  415. 


72  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

common  needs  and  hopes  and  purposes  and  tasks  which  belong  to 
our  common  human  Hfe.  Where  these  values  are  sought  and  in  a 
measure,  at  least,  attained,  we  have  participation  in  social  service, 
be  the  program  of  activities  ever  so  meager,  but  where  they  do  not 
enter  into  consideration  and  no  provision  is  made  for  their  realiza- 
tion there  is  no  participation  in  social  service,  no  matter  how  elabo- 
rate the  round  of  worthy  endeavor  may  be.  To  set  young  people 
at  philanthropic  tasks  is  not,  by  any  means,  the  same  as  engaging 
them  in  social  service,  and  this  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized, 
for  they  are  engaged  in  social  service  only  when  their  social  activities 
mediate  the  process  of  their  own  socialization. 

But  has  the  task  of  religious  education,  as  thus  described, 
sufficient  significance  to  make  it  a  matter  of  vital  importance 
whether  its  end  is  ever  realized  or  not  ?  Suppose  we  put  the  ques- 
tion in  another  form.  Is  it  worth  while  to  nurture  sympathy,  to 
develop  ability  to  assume  the  role  of  others,  to  deepen  the  desire 
to  ally  one's  self  with  his  fellows  in  a  spirit  of  human  comradeship, 
to  make  youth  sensitive  and  responsive  to  the  call  for  enlistment  in 
the  significant  movements  of  the  ever-enlarging  social  group? 
Throughout  this  discussion  we  have  used  the  term  sympathy,  not 
for  mere  sensation  or  crude  emotion,  but  for  the  understanding  of, 
and  the  sharing  in,  the  lives  of  others,  and  using  the  term  in  this 
sense  Professor  Cooley  has  shown  that  sympathy  is  the  measure  of 
one's  personality,  a  requisite  to  social  power,  and  underhes  the 
moral  rank  of  a  man  and  goes  to  fix  our  estimate  of  his  justice  and 
goodness. 

What  is  it  [he  asks]  to  do  good,  in  the  ordinary  sense?  Is  it  not  to  help 
people  to  enjoy  and  to  work,  to  fulfil  the  healthy  and  happy  tendencies  of 
human  nature;  to  give  play  to  children,  education  to  youth,  a  career  to  men, 
a  household  to  women,  and  peace  to  old  age  ?  And  it  is  sympathy  that  makes 
a  man  wish  and  need  to  do  these  things.  One  who  is  large  enough  to  live  the 
life  of  the  race  will  feel  the  inifuilses  of  each  class  as  his  own,  and  do  what  he 
can  to  gratify  them  as  naturally  as  he  eats  his  dinner.' 

In  making  the  complete  socialization  of  the  individual  its  end, 
religious  education  has  set  itself  no  light  or  easy  task,  for  when  that 
end  is  realized  and  every  individual  is  living  in  reciprocal  relations 
of  sympathy  with  every  other  individual  we  shall  no  longer  need  to 
wait  for  that  ideal  kingdom  which  Jesus  called  the  kingdom  of  God. 

'  C.  H.  Cooley,  Human  Nature  and  the  Social  Order,  p.  loo- 


CHAPTER  II 
DANGERS  IN  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

The  best  way  to  help  another  is  to  help  that  other  to  be  his  best. 
To  assist  anyone  to  realize  his  ideal  self  is  not,  however,  an  easy 
matter.  To  establish  one's  self  in  full  social  relations  with  an 
ever-enlarging  group  is  likewise  far  from  a  simple  process.  But  even 
more  complicated  and  more  difficult  is  the  task  of  socializing  the 
young  people  of  the  Sunday  school  so  that  while  seeking  to  regard 
and  carry  themselves  as  children  of  the  eternal  Father  they  also 
make  it  their  purpose  to  respect  every  other  person  as  his  child. 
Social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  is  not  be  to  entered  into  lightly. 
It  is  attended  by  serious  problems.  It  is  beset  with  difficulties  and 
dangers  that  menace  its  success.  As  knowledge  is  power,  it  will 
be  well  to  give  some  consideration  to  this  phase  of  our  problem. 

A  prime  danger  in  social  service  springs  from  its  popularity. 
This  is  distinctively  the  social  age,  the  age  of  the  social  problem 
and  the  social  program.  Humanity  has  heard  the  call  of  humanity. 
Men  have  suddenly  become  interested  in  men.  In  place  of  the  old 
individualism  there  has  developed  a  social  idealism,  inspiring  men 
with  the  vision  of  a  new  democracy,  and  a  social  conscience,  im- 
pressing them  with  the  claims  of  a  social  obligation.  Says  Dr. 
Peabody: 

The  most  remarkable  discovery  of  the  present  generation — more  character- 
istic of  the  present  age  than  the  telephone  or  the  automobile  or  aerial  naviga- 
tion— is  the  discovery  of  the  social  conscience;  the  unprecedented  activity  of 
social  responsibility  and  social  service,  the  new  definition  of  duty  in  terms  of 
social  obUgation  and  social  redemption.  Never  in  human  history  were  so  many 
people,  learned  and  ignorant,  employers  and  employed,  rich  and  poor,  wdse  and 
otherwise,  so  seriously  concerned  with  the  question  of  social  justice,  the  ansv/er- 

ing  of  social  problems,  the  realizing  of   social  dreams Nowhere  is 

this  call  of  the  social  conscience  more  clearly  heard  than  in  organizations  dedi- 
cated to  religion.  No  church  can  justify  its  existence  in  the  age  of  the  social 
question  without  adding  to  its  equipment  for  worship  a  further  equipment  for 
work.  Behind  the  house  of  prayer  rises  the  parish  house,  with  its  clubs  and 
classes,  its  deaconesses  and  visitors,  its  gymnasiums  and  kindergartens,  its 
social  settlement  and  personal  relief.' 

'  F.  G.  Peabody,  The  Social  Conscience  and  the  Religious  Life,  pp.  1,2. 

73 


74  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

And  just  because  so  many  religious  people  are  becoming  sensitive 
to  the  claims  of  social  obligation  and  are  organizing  their  interest 
and  effort  for  the  promotion  of  the  common  welfare,  these  newer 
expressions  of  the  social  spirit  are  exposed  to  hasty  adoption  and 
crude  imitation.  Charity  work  has  become  the  fashion  if  not  a 
fad.  To  be  interested  in  philanthropic  endeavor  is  quite  the  proper 
thing.  To  go  about  doing  good  is  to  be  up  to  date  and  progressive. 
In  religious  organizations  as  elsewhere  there  are  always  those  whose 
sole  and  sufficient  ideal  is  to  be  abreast  of  the  times;  and  even  a 
little  observation  is  sufficient  to  convince  one  that  some  Sunday 
schools  in  their  social  activities  are  simply  following  the  crowd 
without  thinking  of  where  the  crowd  is  going.  A  campaign  of 
social  service  has  been  introduced  without  knowing  why  it  was 
undertaken,  or  what  form  it  ought  to  assume,  or  what  vital  qualities 
were  essential  to  the  realization  of  its  function.  The  issue  of  social 
service  by  such  Sunday  schools  is  not  doubtful.  Enthusiasm  is  not 
a  substitute  for  knowledge.  The  desire  to  be  modern  will  not  take 
the  place  of  trained  intelligence.  A  religious  attitude  and  skilful 
pedagogy  are  as  necessary  to  the  efficiency  of  a  program  of  social 
service  as  they  are  to  the  didactic  curriculum ;  and  until  the  officers 
and  teachers  of  a  Sunday  school  have  thought  their  problem  through 
and  made  themselves  acquainted  with  the  forms  and  methods  and 
essential  quahty  of  social  service  it  would  be  better  for  them  to 
hold  in  check  the  desire  to  be  up  to  date. 

We  face  another  danger  in  social  service  in  the  fact  that  the 
activities  incident  to  it  can  so  easily  become  an  end  in  themselves. 
When  this  occurs  social  service  degenerates  into  a  form  of  social 
enjoyment  and  the  fine  enthusiasm  enkindled  for  altruistic  endeavor 
spends  itself  in  the  lust  of  pleasure.  A  strong  plea  for  bringing 
social  service  into  the  Sunday  school  is  based  on  the  attraction 
which  it  has  for  all  ages.  It  meets  the  call  for  expressive  activities, 
supplies  every  department  with  a  unifying  interest,  and  furnishes  the 
week-day  gatherings  of  the  class  with  a  program  of  vital  attractive 
quality.  But  this  source  of  its  strength  is  also  a  source  of  weakness, 
and  unless  wise  care  is  exercised  the  interest  of  the  young  people 
will  be  quite  absorbed  by  the  pleasure  which  their  work  affords. 
A  young  ladies'  class  in  a  city  Sunday  school  became  interested  in 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  75 

a  home  for  dependent  children  and  resolved  to  make  a  contribution 
to  its  funds.  In  order  to  raise  the  money  they  decided  to  give  a  little 
play,  and  many  happy  winter  evenings  were  spent  in  rehearsals  at 
the  home  of  the  teacher.  In  a  conversation  with  an  interested  mem- 
ber of  the  class,  after  the  season  was  over,  I  discovered  that  while  she 
abounded  in  exclamations  over  the  good  times  they  had  enjoyed,  she 
could  not  recall  the  name  of  the  institution  for  which  her  class  was 
working,  knew  next  to  nothing  of  its  work,  its  necessity,  its  char- 
acter, and  had  no  personal  relations  whatever  with  the  children 
who  were  the  recipients  of  the  beneficence  of  the  class.  Another 
active  organization  of  this  class  was  its  sewing  circle.  Once  a 
fortnight  its  meetings  were  held  and  while  the  rest  sewed  one  read 
aloud,  refreshments  were  served  by  the  teacher  before  they  parted, 
and  a  most  delightful  evening  was  spent.  All  this  is  very  good. 
But  what  shall  we  say  when  it  is  learned  that  some  of  the  class 
never  knew  the  destination  of  the  layettes  which  they  cut  out  and 
made  ?  Given  a  leader  of  attractive  personality  and  the  making  of 
scrapbooks,  jelly,  games,  fireless  cookers,  and  baby  clothes  may 
become  a  most  delightful  pastime,  but  the  pleasure  is  dearly  pur- 
chased when  it  dulls  the  sense  of  social  obligation  and  reduces 
social  service  to  common  charity  with  its  lack  of  human  relationship 
to  those  who  are  served. 

Yet  another  danger  in  social  service  is  the  peril  to  which  all 
philanthropy  is  exposed — the  pauperization  of  the  poor,  the  develop- 
ment of  social  parasites,  the  capitalization  of  fraud  and  deception. 
While  social  service  is  more  than  a  synonym  for  philanthropy,  it 
quite  generally  involves  philanthropy  and  it  is  sure  to  issue  in  unde- 
sirable results  unless  it  is  safeguarded  by  a  practical  recognition  of 
the  established  principles  of  human  rehabilitation.  As  long  as  a 
Sunday  school  does  its  work  through  institutions  and  societies, 
its  task  is  comparatively  simple,  but  when  it  gives  itself  to  the 
more  personal  ministry  of  assisting  individuals  and  families, 
immediately  the  problem  becomes  more  compKcated.  The  lazy, 
the  designing,  the  unscrupulous,  the  vicious,  as  well  as  the  poor,  are 
always  with  us  and  an  institution  that  enjoys  the  reputation  of 
being  a  generous  ''good  fellow"  can  easily  become  their  prey. 
Social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  must,  therefore,  be  scientific 


76  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

in  its  methods  as  well  as  religious  in  its  attitude.  Indiscriminate 
giving  should  be  avoided.  Investigations  should  be  made  and 
records  kept.  Friendly  \'isiting  should  constitute  an  integral  part 
of  the  system  and  close  relations  should  be  maintained  with  the 
local  charity  organization.  It  is  precisely  in  its  neglect  of  scientific 
method  that  unregulated  and  undirected  philanthropic  impulse 
fails  most  grievously.  It  is  supremely  important,  therefore,  for 
social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  to  be  organized  on  the  most 
approved  basis  and  to  avail  itself  of  the  enlightened,  accumulated 
experience  of  social  workers. 

Again,  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  may  fail  of  its  highest 
efficiency  through  ignoring  its  expressive  character.  Whenever 
this  happens  no  relation  is  set  up  between  what  is  taught  and  what 
is  done.  Instead  of  reinforcing  and  supplementing  each  other  the 
truth  is  isolated  from  its  expression  and  the  expression  remains 
ignorant  of  the  truth  that  gave  it  birth.  A  certain  teacher  said  to 
her  class,  "You  have  been  learning  long  enough.  It  is  time  now 
for  you  to  put  in  practice  what  you  have  been  taught."  Then  she 
introduced  a  varied  program  of  social  activities  and  turned  loose 
upon  her  class  a  series  of  speakers  who  talked  upon  a  multiplicity 
of  unconnected  subjects.  Only  unsatisfactory  results  can  issue  from 
such  a  procedure.  The  educational  justification  and  value  of  social 
service  is  found  in  its  expressive  character,  but  what  does  it  express 
if  it  sustains  no  relation  to  the  truths  to  which  the  attention  of  the 
children  is  being  directed  ?  As  truths  become  vital  when  they  are 
embodied  in  significant  expressions,  so  expressions  become  signifi- 
cant when  they  are  made  the  embodiment  of  vital  truths.  A 
successful  program  of  social  service  cannot  be  dropped  down  upon  a 
school.  It  must  grow  out  of  the  teaching  which  is  given  and  be 
followed  by  more  teaching,  which  in  turn  issues  in  more  service, 
and  so  religious  education  becomes  a  real  process  of  learning  by 
doing. 

Undoubtedly  the  most  insidious  danger  attendant  on  social  serv- 
ice is  the  patronizing  spirit.  Everyone  who  considers  the  problem 
recognizes  this  danger  and  it  constitutes  the  chief  reason  for  hesi- 
tancy among  those  of  deep  and  genuine  interest  in  programs  of 
social  amelioration.     Snobbishness  is  detestable.     To  turn  children 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  77 

into  prigs  is  unpardonable.  To  cause  young  people  to  regard 
themselves  as  the  generous  dispensers  of  bounty  to  inferiors  and 
unfortunates  is  to  make  their  last  state  worse  than  the  first.  Yet 
the  danger  is  a  real  one  and  certainly  the  most  threatening  one  that 
confronts  the  Sunday  school  in  its  attempt  at  social  service.  Several 
facts  conspire  to  produce  this  peril.  It  is  more  or  less  dijS&cult  for 
children  to  understand  the  principles  which  preserve  the  purity  of 
the  social  impulse.  Moreover,  the  entire  atmosphere  of  our  social 
life  is  pervaded  by  class-consciousness.  At  the  present  stage  of 
our  social  development  very  few  adults  are  altogether  free  from  the 
patronizing  attitude.  Often,  too,  the  appeal  for  giving  is  so 
phrased  as  to  suggest  superiority.  Why,  then,  should  we  wonder 
that  it  is  so  fatally  easy  for  young  people  to  play  the  role  of  Lady 
Bountiful  ? 

No  one  will  deny  that  welfare  work  exposes  young  people  to  the 
danger  of  developing  a  patronizing  attitude,  but  in  so  far  as  this  is 
true  it  argues  for,  instead  of  against,  a  definite  program  of  social 
service.  The  philanthropic  activities  which  spring  from  impulse 
are  more  Hable  to  produce  priggishness  than  those  which  take  place 
as  the  natural  and  culminating  issue  of  a  well-arranged  system  of 
instruction.  Impulse  is  impulsive.  It  acts  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  It  does  not  wait  to  establish  personal  relationships. 
Consequently  it  is  more  likely  to  treat  those  whom  it  serves  as 
members  of  a  class  rather  than  full  human  beings.  But  in  a  well- 
arranged  and  carefully  correlated  program  of  service  impulse  is 
controlled,  enlightened,  and  directed,  and  the  service  which  follows 
is  pervaded  by  fine  human  qualities.  Patronizing  is  a  child  of 
charity  work,  not  of  social  service.  Organized  social  service 
wherever  done  is  far  less  patronizing  than  charity  work,  and  the 
reason  for  this  is  that  while  charity  work  is  the  response  of  impulse, 
social  service  is  the  reaction  of  a  broad,  intelligence,  insight,  expe- 
rience, and  sympathy,  and  sets  up  genuine  human  relations.  A 
kindergarten  teacher  of  ripe  experience,  fine  culture,  and  spiritual 
insight,  whose  little  folks  have  been  given  many  happy  times  in 
social  service,  was  asked  what  results  she  had  secured.  She  stated 
that  in  her  own  work  she  had  seen  no  patronizing.  She  attributed 
patronizing  to  clumsy  methods  and  a  failure  to  give  the  children 


78  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

concrete  objects  for  which  to  work.  It  should  be  remarked  that 
this  teacher  precedes  the  social  service  of  her  class  with  prolonged 
preparatory  measures  and  carefully  correlates  it  with  her  instruc- 
tion. She  never  uses  such  terms  as  "orphans,"  "the  poor."  She 
has  no  classes  in  her  vocabulary  and  hence  her  little  folks  have 
none  in  their  spirit.  It  is  classifying  other  folks  that  leads  to  the 
patronizing  attitude  and  the  best  way  to  avoid  classifying  them  is 
to  make  an  intelligent  and  definite  effort  to  establish  personal 
relations  with  them.  So  we  come  back  to  our  original  proposition 
that  the  danger  of  developing  little  prigs  through  social  effort 
furnishes  an  argument  for,  instead  of  against,  a  program  of  social 
service. 

The  dangers  which  attend  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school 
arise  from  a  failure  to  use  a  technique  adequate  to  the  task.  If 
social  service  meant  nothing  more  than  relieving  need  and  enter- 
taining young  people  it  would  call  for  little  beyond  routine  and 
commonplace  methods.  The  difficulties  which  are  encountered 
are  due  to  the  loftiness  of  the  ideal  which  social  service  sets  itself 
and  their  solution  lies  in  a  full  recognition  of  the  essential  nature  of 
that  end  and  in  the  employment  of  scientific  methods  by  leaders 
who  have  been  seized  by  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTER  III 
TYPES  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

Social  service,  as  we  have  seen,  has  one  dominating  end,  the 
furtherance  of  the  socializing  process  or  the  bringing-in  of  that  ideal 
social  order  in  which  every  person  will  treat  every  other  person  as  a 
full  human  being.  It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  social  service 
will  assume  a  single  form  or  confine  itself  to  one  method  of  pro- 
cedure. Ideal  personal  relations  may  be  brought  about  in  various 
ways  and  while  social  service  has  one  essential  purpose  and  under 
wise  leadership  adopts  the  scientific  principles  of  philanthropy  and 
pedagogy,  already  the  Sunday  school  has  given  rise  to  several  types 
of  social  service. 

§  I.      SEASONAL 

The  seasonal  type  is  a  common  one.  In  Sunday  schools  where 
this  type  prevails  social  service  is  practically  confined  to  Thanks- 
giving and  Christmas,  when  dinners  are  provided  for  the  needy, 
Christmas  trees  are  hung  with  gifts,  festive  gatherings  are  arranged, 
and  worthy  institutions  are  remembered.  Even  here  there  are 
wide  variations,  both  in  method  and  in  spirit.  While  some  schools 
are  inspired  by  these  seasons  to  service  of  a  real  socializing  character, 
beautifully  human  and  thoroughly  expressive  of  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion,  others  seem  to  miss  the  significance  of  their  opportunity, 
and  are  satisfied  if  the  conventions  of  the  season  are  not  externally 
ignored.  When  sufiicient  care  is  taken  to  prevent  the  idea  of 
charity  from  creeping  in  and  every  effort  is  made  to  bring  about  a 
genuine  human  feeling,  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  readily  lend 
themselves  to  fine  forms  of  social  service  and  afford  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  introducing  it  into  schools  which  have  not  yet 
given  themselves  to  this  ministry. 

§  2.      CASUAL 

Another  type  is  best  described  as  casual.  It  is  represented  by 
those  Sunday  schools  which  do  more  or  less  social  service  through- 
out the  year,  but  have  no  systematized  program.     Quantitatively 

79 


80  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

and  qualitatively  there  is  a  \\'ide  variation  in  the  work  of  these 
schools.  Their  common  denominator  is  their  lack  of  organization. 
Much  of  the  social  service  of  these  schools  is  of  a  high  order  and  with 
a  little  organization  could  be  extended  through  the  whole  school  and 
be  made  an  integral  feature  of  the  program.  A  tabulation  of  all 
the  social  service  done  in  quite  a  number  of  schools  belonging  to  this 
group  may  be  worth  while : 

1.  Every  year  the  whole  school  unites  to  establish  a  new 
Sunday  school  in  some  part  of  the  country.  The  denominational 
Sunday-school  society  is  the  agency  through  which  this  task  is 
carried  on. 

2.  A  kindergarten  supports  another  kindergarten  for  Italian 
children  in  another  part  of  the  city. 

3.  Boys  and  girls,  six  to  nine  years  of  age,  send  gifts  to  a  home 
for  crippled  children. 

4.  Girls  of  twelve  to  sixteen  years,  (a)  sing  at  Old  Folks' Home; 
(b)  meet  twice  a  month  to  make  kimonos  and  scrapbooks  for  a 
children's  isolation  hospital. 

5.  Boys,  thirteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  (a)  distribute 
church  literature  and  printed  matter;  (b)  boys'  choir  sings  at 
various  institutions;  (c)  boys  have  assumed  responsibihty  for 
raising  $1,000  to  pay  a  church  mortgage;  they  solicit  subscriptions 
and  collect  them  under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
Junior  Brotherhood;  (d)  boys  have  assumed  responsibility  for 
expenses  of  a  gymnasium. 

6.  Young  women,  eighteen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  (a) 
friendly  visiting;  {b)  furnish  helpers  for  church  nursery  on  Sunday 
morning  during  public  worship;  (c)  entertain  juniors  on  Sunday 
afternoon;  (d)  have  assumed  responsibility  for  the  maintenance  of 
a  gild  where  young  women  meet  once  a  week  in  educational  classes 
and  for  recreation.     This  class  has  supplied  the  teachers. 

7.  Young  men,  eighteen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  furnish 
helpers  who  assist  in  the  gymnasium  classes  and  with  the  games  at 
a  social  center. 

8.  Annual  offering  to  the  National  Child  Labor  Committee  by 
the  school. 

9.  Annual  offering  to  the  Red  Cross  Society  by  the  school. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  81 

The  serious  weakness  in  the  work  of  this  group  of  schools  is 
their  failure  to  organize  their  efforts  into  a  graded  program  that 
would  take  in  the  whole  school  and  cover  the  entire  year.  As  our 
schedule  shows,  fine  work  is  being  done  by  these  schools,  but  in 
every  one  of  them  the  loss  in  efiiciency  is  so  evident  that  one  is 
amazed  that  they  do  not  immediately  abandon  their  chaotic  method 
and  grade  their  expressive  as  they  do  their  didactic  work.  Without 
a  graded  program  of  social  service  there  is,  (i)  no  strong  probability 
that  all  the  classes  will  be  enlisted  in  some  form  of  worthy  endeavor; 
(2)  no  assurance  that  each  class  or  grade  will  be  given  the  service 
best  adapted  to  the  age  and  capacity  of  the  pupils;  (3)  no  provision 
for  arranging  social  service  in  respect  both  to  objects  and  to  form 
so  as  to  provide  an  orderly  and  progressive  course  of  endeavor; 
(4)  no  likehhood  that  social  service  will  be  correlated  with  the 
instructional  and  devotional  elements  so  as  to  constitute  an  ade- 
quate expressive  outlet  for  rehgious  behef  and  feehng. 

§  3.      ORGANIZED 

The  organized  type  of  social  service  is  not  of  uniform  character. 
Indeed,  at  least  three  distinct  forms  of  organization  or  stages  of 
development  may  be  discovered. 

First  of  all  there  are  those  Sunday  schools  which  fully  recognize 
the  value  of  social  service  in  religious  education  and  are  pro- 
gressively giving  it  a  place  in  the  regime  of  the  school.  Their 
programs  are  in  course  of  evolution.  The  work  of  three  schools 
will  furnish  an  illustration. 

The  first  school  has  a  regular  calendar  of  worthy  causes,  in 
which  the  main  school  is  interested  as  a  unit.  The  classes  are 
interested  in  all  working  together.  Some  of  the  organizations  are 
local,  others  denominational.  Speakers  come  once  a  month  and 
address  the  school  as  a  whole  or  the  separate  classes,  just  as  seems 
best.  Twice  a  year  there  is  a  united  endeavor.  At  Christmas 
the  school  entertains  poor  children,  everybody  having  his  share  to 
do,  even  the  smallest,  and  about  May  i  it  gives  a  fair,  in  which  all 
co-operate  for  a  specific  object.  In  November,  various  poor  famihes 
are  furnished  with  goodies.  This  is  done  entirely  by  classes,  a 
family  being  found  for  each  class,  whose  circumstances  render  it 


82  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

particularly  appropriate  for  that  group.  Then  the  class  has  entire 
charge  of  collecting,  arranging,  and  distributing  its  basket. 

During  October,  February,  March,  April,  and  May  the  following 
objects  are  assisted  by  the  main  school  as  a  whole:  October,  East 
End  Christian  Union;  January,  Cambridge  Hospital;  February, 
Visiting  Nurses' Association;  March,  Avon  Home;  April  (Easter), 
children's  missions;  May,  Floating  Hospital.  The  pupils  of  the 
Primary  Department  buy  the  Christmas  tree  for  the  poor  children's 
party  at  Christmas,  otherwise  their  money  always  goes  to  the 
children's  missions. 

The  technique  of  another  school  may  be  outlined  as  follows: 

1.  The  entire  school  unites  once  a  year,  on  the  Sunday  just 
before  Christmas,  in  a  "gift  service,"  when  each  person  brings  a 
gift  or  gifts  of  food,  clothing,  books,  games,  etc.,  which  are  turned 
over  to  the  District  Nurses'  Association  and  Salvation  Army  for 
distribution. 

2.  The  school  as  a  whole  gives  all  the  offerings  for  one  month 
to  a  near-by  home  for  crippled  children. 

3.  The  members  of  primary  class  (a)  give  a  little  play  and  Christ- 
mas tree  for  the  entertainment  of  the  Day  Nursery;  (b)  keep  a 
bank  for  their  birthday  money,  which  they  call  their  "give-away 
money,"  all  of  which  goes  to  the  comfort  of  some  needy  person. 

4.  During  last  summer  a  great  many  of  the  primary  and  junior 
children  came  to  the  church  daily  and  prepared  scrapbooks  and 
convenient-sized  cardboards  by  pasting  pictures,  stories,  poems, 
Bible  and  other  devotional  thoughts  upon  them,  and  cut  up  puzzles 
for  use  in  the  hospitals.  They  also,  under  the  direction  of  the 
director  of  religious  education,  made  jelHes,  fruit  juices,  and 
canned  small  jars  of  fruit,  the  children  bringing  the  fruit  and  sugar 
to  the  church  and  doing  most  of  the  work  themselves.  These 
canned  fruits  and  juices  are  given  to  the  District  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion for  distribution. 

This  same  group  furnishes  flowers  for  the  pulpit  on  the  last  Sun- 
day of  each  month.  After  the  service  they  carry  them  to  sick  and 
shut-in  people. 

5.  Various  classes  engage  in  the  following  activities:  (a)  provide 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  dinners  for  poor  people;    (b)  make 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  83 

garments  for  the  Day  Nursery;  (c)  send  garments,  books,  and  games 
to  the  southern  mountaineers  and  negro  schools  in  the  South. 

Just  before  the  vacation  period,  the  weekly  church  calendar  con- 
tained suggestions  to  the  members  of  the  school  of  "Things  to  Do" 
during  the  summer  vacation  of  seventy  days.  These  were  the 
suggestions  made: 

Things  We  Can  Do  for  Others 

1.  Carry  flowers  to  sick  and  old  people. 

2.  Send  postcards  and  letters  to  people  who  are  kept  at  home. 

3.  Provide  a  day's  pleasure  for  a  group  of  children,  going  with  them  and 
playing  with  them. 

4.  Read,  sing,  and  tell  stories  to  children,  sick  people,  and  old  people. 

5.  Make  a  glass  of  jelly,  put  up  a  jar  of  fruit  or  a  bottle  of  grape  juice  for 
use  for  sick  next  winter. 

6.  Save  pennies  and  nickels  for  paper  drinking-cups  for  poor  immigrants 
on  trains. 

7.  Make  scrapbooks,  give  toys,  knives,  and  dolls  for  immigrant  children 
detained  at  Ellis  Island  with  nothing  to  amuse  them. 

The  letter  of  a  director  of  rehgious  education  gives  such  a 

vivid  presentation  of  the  constructive  process  in  another  school 

that  we  shall  quote  from  it  at  length: 

The  immediate  ideal  was  to  get  every  pupil  interested  in  some  concrete 
piece  of  social  service,  the  satisfaction  of  some  human  need.  This  was  accom- 
plished at  first  by  the  presentation  of  needs,  which,  after  discussion,  were 
satisfied  by  the  voting  of  money  from  the  school  treasury.  A  threatening  mort- 
gage of  a  home  mission  church  opened  the  way  to  vital  giving  to  home  missions. 
A  child  in  China  without  education  was  the  concrete  object  which  gathered 
many  dollars  from  the  Junior  Department.  Little  children  in  the  neighboring 
orphan  asylum  furnished  occasion  for  an  avalanche  of  toys,  picture  books,  and 
eatables  from  the  Primary  Department.  At  Christmas  giving  to  definite 
needy  famiUes  instead  of  to  charity  or  charitable  organizations  was  suggested. 
The  Director  obtained  the  names,  addresses,  with  age,  sex,  and  other  informa- 
tion, of  nearly  a  hundred  needy  individuals  in  the  slums.  These  twenty  or 
more  families  were  given  a  good  dinner  and  individual  presents  by  the  classes 
and  members  of  the  church  school.  These  presents  were  given  personally  by 
individuals  and  class  representatives.  A  class  of  young  men  as  a  result  began 
to  study  social  problems,  using  Dr.  Henderson's  book.  A  class  of  young  ladies 
began  to  sew  for  the  orphans.  This  class  has  organized  a  charity  "shower," 
early  in  December  of  each  year.  This  year  they  were  "  Santa  "  to  scores  of  poor 
children.  All  of  these,  and  many  more,  concrete  problems  aroused  an  interest 
in  an  organized  work  of  some  type. 


84  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

This  letter  is  interesting  because  it  indicates  how  social  service 
in  the  Sunday  school  grows  and  calls  for  organization,  and  because 
it  shows  a  program  in  course  of  evolution. 

Thus  the  common  characteristic  of  these  schools  is  the  pro- 
gressive commitment  of  themselves  to  social  service,  growing  out 
of  their  increasing  vision  of  its  vital  qualities. 

A  second  form  of  organization  is  represented  by  those  schools 
which  have  no  graded  program  but  in  which  all  the  grades  do 
definite  social  service.  Various  methods  of  administration  for  this 
form  of  organization  are  possible  and  are  in  operation.  Some 
schools  commit  its  oversight  to  the  superintendent;  others  hold  the 
teachers  responsible;  while  still  others  appoint  a  social  service 
committee  which  seeks  to  direct  every  class  in  the  selection  of  some 
suitable  form  of  endeavor.  The  technique  of  one  school  was 
described  as  follows : 

Our  social  ideals  begin  and  go  out  from  the  home.  We  are  a  large  home 
group  together;  the  importance  of  home  is  emphasized  as  a  place  for  loving 
works  of  service.  The  city  is  a  larger  home,  the  nation,  and  the  world,  all 
growing  out  of  the  thought  that  we  are  at  home  best  of  all  in  the  heart  of  God. 
We  strive  to  avoid  testing  too  pointedly  for  the  "daily  good  turn,"  in  order  not 
to  give  the  idea  of  acquiring  merit  and  praise  merely  from  such  acts.  Our 
school  flag  bears  a  seal  representing  the  character  of  Christ  as  founded  on 
relationships  suggested  in  his  confession,  '"I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness." We  build  on  this  as  the  best  social-service  motto.  It  represents  the 
duty,  reason,  love,  and  opportunity  of  life. 

A  third  form  of  organization  is  the  completely  graded  program 
of  social  service.  This  is  the  ideal,  and  must  ultimately  become 
the  universal,  form  of  organization.  It  places  the  expressive 
activities  on  the  same  plane  as  the  other  educational  factors.  It 
recognizes  the  necessity  of  making  sure  that  all  the  classes  are 
enlisted  in  some  form  of  worthy  endeavor,  adapted  to  their  age 
and  capacity,  arranged  in  orderly  and  progressive  sequence,  and 
correlated  with  the  instructional  and  devotional  elements  so  as  to 
present  a  vital  and  essential  unity.  A  subsequent  chapter  will 
be  devoted  to  such  programs. 

§  4.      AFFILIATED 

To  the  fourth  general  type  belong  the  Sunday  schools  whose 
social  service  is  carried  on  through  societies  affiliated  witli  their 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  85 

respective  departments.  Each  department  has  its  corresponding 
society  and  all  the  social  activities  of  the  department,  recreational 
or  philanthropic,  are  under  the  direction  of  the  society.  The 
organization  of  one  school  will  illustrate  the  method: 

Wee  Folks'  Band,  kindergarten  and  primary. 

Lend-A-Hand  Society,  boys  and  girls,  eight  to  fourteen  years  of  age. 

Boys  Scouts,  twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age. 

Camp  Fire  Girls,  twelve  to  sixteen  years  of  age. 

Messenger  Cadets,  fourteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age. 

Young  People's  Alliance,  eighteen  to  twenty-four  years  of  age. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are  obvious.  It  secures  a 
simple  and  effective  organization  for  the  expressive  activities.  It 
defines  the  specific  function  of  the  young  people's  societies  and 
indicates  their  relation  to  the  Sunday  school.  It  provides  more 
adequate  time  for  discussing  and  planning  social  service  than  the 
regular  sessions  of  the  class  allow.  It  fosters  the  inspiration  and 
enthusiasm  which  belong  to  larger  groups. 

There  are,  however,  objections  to  this  plan.  In  a  small  school 
to  duplicate  each  department  with  a  corresponding  society  would 
crush  the  school  with  the  weight  of  its  machinery.  Teachers 
place  a  large  emphasis  on  the  unifying  power  which  social  service 
exerts  over  the  class.  With  a  society,  which  is  not  an  integral  part 
of  the  school,  and  which  may  not  include  all  the  class  as  the  rally- 
ing center,  this  value  is  largely  lost  and  the  development  of  a  class 
esprit  de  corps  is  made  more  difficult.  The  necessity  of  correlating 
social  service  with  instruction  also  declares  against  the  trans- 
ference of  its  welfare  efforts  from  the  immediate  control  of  the 
class.  Social  service  is  an  expressive  activity.  That  is  its  function 
and  therein  is  its  value.  But  to  perform  that  function  and  carry 
that  value  it  must  be  so  presented  and  given  such  a  setting  that  those 
who  engage  in  its  activities  regard  them  as  the  natural  and  fitting 
expression  of  the  truths  which  they  have  made  their  own. 

§  5.      PERSONAL 

Some  Sunday  schools  confine  themselves  to  personal  service 
and  eliminate  social  service  in  the  form  of  gifts.  Where  this 
distinction  obtains  gifts  are  made  by  the  school  only  at  Thanks- 


86  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

giving  and  Christmas.     Two  forms  of  personal  service,  performed 
by  a  school  of  this  type,  seem  significant  enough  to  mention : 

A  Craft  Gild 

The  program  of  this  gild  is  set  forth  in  the  following  announcement: 

Cooking. — Excellent  and  practical  recipes  taught  by  an  experienced 
domestic-science  teacher.     All  materials  provided. 

Dressmaking. — You  can  bring  materials  for  a  dress  or  waist,  cut  it  out,  make 
and  fit  it  yourself  with  the  help  of  an  expert  dressmaker. 

Plain  sewing. — Undergarments,  aprons,  and  children's  clothing  are  being 
made  in  this  class.     Machines  are  ready  for  your  use.     Mending  is  also  taught. 

Embroidery. — French  embroidery,  eyelet  work,  punch  work,  cross-stitch, 
knitting,  and  Irish  crocheting  are  taught. 

Art. — An  interesting  class  in  sketching,  designing,  and  lettering. 

Millinery. — The  teacher  of  this  class  will  help  you  make  and  trim  a  hat 
for  yourself  or  trim  over  an  old  one. 

Music. — The  choral  club  is  studying  two-part  songs.  They  have  made 
one  public  appearance  and  expect  to  appear  again  soon.  A  limited  number  of 
private  twenty-minute  lessons  on  the  piano  are  given. 

Story-telling. — This  course  teaches  how  to  tell  stories,  what  stories  to  tell, 
and  to  whom. 

English  literature. — A  study  of  a  few  of  our  English  classics,  as  well  as  some 
practice  in  letter-writing. 

Gymnastics. — Various  forms  of  Delsarte,  breathing  work,  Indian  clubs,  etc., 
are  being  taken  up  in  this  class. 

Come  Next  Monday  Night 

We  have  a  branch  of  the  Public  Library,  magazines,  and  games,  a  pleasant 
place  to  spend  the  evening  if  you  don't  want  class  work.  Every  Monday  night 
at  9:00  there  is  a  short  program  of  music  or  an  interesting  talk  and  then  a 
good  social  time  over  a  cup  of  hot  chocolate.  This  is  all  free,  but  5  cents  is 
charged  for  lessons  in  classes.  All  young  women  will  receive  a  hearty  welcome. 
The  craft  gild  is  for  you. 

Every  week  three  hundred  and  fifty  young  women  take  advan- 
tage of  the  privileges  which  the  gild  aftords.  Responsibility  for 
the  management  of  this  gild  has  been  assumed  by  a  young  women's 
class  with  a  membership  of  forty.  Only  two  paid  workers  are 
employed  by  the  gild,  the  others  are  supplied  from  or  by  the  class. 
The  program  which  follows  the  classes  is  also  furnished  by  them. 
The  members  of  the  class  attend  the  gild,  cultivate  the  friend- 
ship of  the  young  women  present,  invite  them  to  their  class,  and 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  87 

find  opportunity  for  the  kindly  personal  relationships  which  such 
intimacy  always  affords. 

A  second  piece  of  personal  service  worthy  of  mention  is  that 
rendered  by  the  mass  club  of  this  same  church.  The  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  a  mass  club  is  well  stated  by  Professor  Fiske:  "The 
mass  club  is  wholesale  work  with  boys,  the  group  is  retail  work. 
The  former  is  inclusive,  democratic,  free  from  castes  or  creedal 
tests.  The  latter  is  exclusive,  reflective,  homogeneous,  and  includes 
boys  of  the  same  age."  The  boys  of  this  church  were  organized  into 
a  mass  club.  "Work  for  boys  by  boys"  was  their  slogan,  and 
they  were  scouring  the  community  and  bringing  into  their  club 
boys  of  all  nationalities  and  every  social  position.  Great  differ- 
ence of  opinion  prevails  respecting  the  relative  value  of  the  mass 
club  and  the  group  club.  Into  this  discussion  we  need  not  enter. 
All  will  agree  that  the  boy  who  is  trained  to  work  for  other  boys, 
whether  in  a  mass  club  or  in  a  group  club,  will  know  better  how  to 
live  with  them  and  will  more  readily  find  and  fill  his  useful  place  in 
life. 

§  6.      GIFTS 

The  sixth  type  appears  in  those  schools  which  restrict  them- 
selves to  gifts,  mostly  money,  and  refrain  from  personal  service. 
Excellent  service  is  being  done  by  some  schools  which  have  adopted 
this  type.  Their  work  is  well  organized,  and  their  classes  are  mak- 
ing regular  contributions  to  a  wide  range  of  institutions  with  which 
they  are  intelKgently  in  touch.  Their  social  spirit  is  marked, 
the  young  people  are  well  informed  regarding  the  philanthropic 
agencies  and  institutions  of  the  city,  and  their  offerings  are  generous. 
The  giving  of  money,  however,  is  a  difficult  form  of  effort  by  which 
to  mediate  the  socializing  process.  With  most  children  a  gift  of 
money  is  not  their  gift  at  all,  and  represents  no  socializing  values. 
Giving  money  requires  no  immediate  contact  between  the  givers  and 
the  recipients.  Such  contact,  of  course,  is  not  necessary,  for  social 
experience  is  a  product  of  social  imagination,  and  where  there  is 
social  imagination  there  will  be  imaginative  if  not  physical  contact. 
Giving  money,  however,  does  not  lend  itself  so  readily  to  producing 
social  imagination  as  other  forms  of  effort,  and  where  it  alone  obtains 
there  is  danger  lest  the  group  fail  to  realize  the  values  of  social 


88  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

service.  Probably  one  of  the  best  ways  by  which  to  mediate  the 
socializing  process  through  money-giving  is  to  engender  and  direct 
discussion  and  then  commit  the  givers  to  a  selection  of  the  objects 
of  their  gifts. 

The  feature  of  primary  importance  in  social  service  is  not  the 
system  by  which  it  is  carried  on,  but  the  assertion  of  the  social 
spirit,  with  its  quick  appreciation  of  the  distinction  between  social 
service  and  charity  work.  Yet  even  if  the  attitude  and  spirit  of 
the  workers  leave  nothing  to  be  desired,  a  better  service  will  be 
rendered  if  the  method  of  procedure  be  worthy  the  spiritual  end  of 
the  task. 


CHAPTER  IV 


SIGNIFICANT  PROGRAMS  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

The  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  to  give  a  few  completely  graded 
programs  of  social  service.  As  far  as  possible  the  technique  is 
included  with  the  program.  As  these  programs  are  actually  in  use, 
they  indicate  what  can  be  done,  and  may  be  useful  as  a  guide  to 
other  schools  in  the  formation  of  a  program  suitable  to  their 
opportunity. 

§  I.      CHRIST  CHURCH,   CHICAGO 
Training  Children  to  Serve 


Class 

Working  For 

Form  of  Work 

Bible  class  (Young 

Visiting  Nurses'  Associa- 

Visiting shut-ins 

men) 

tion 

Young  ladies 

Visiting  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion 

Visiting  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion 

Visiting  Nurses'   Associa- 

Tearing bandages 

Postgraduate 

Tearing  bandages 

Teacher  training 

Visiting  shut-ins;    tearing  bandages 

class 

tion 

HighschoolIII... 

Juvenile  Protective  Asso- 

Giving a  play  to  raise  money  to  help 

ciation 

a  girl  or  boy  in  school 

High  school  III .  .  . 

Juvenile  Protective  Asso- 

Giving a  play  to  raise  money  to  help 

ciation 

a  girl  or  boy  in  school 

High  school  II ...  . 

Junior  Auxiliary- 

Organizing  the  society  in  the  church 
and  carrying  on  its  work 

High  school  II ... . 

Junior  Auxiliary 

Organizing  the  society  in  the  church 
and  carrying  on  its  work 

High  school  II ... . 

Junior  Auxiliary- 

Organizing  the  society  in  the  church 
and  carr>ing  on  its  work 

High  school  II ... . 

United  Charities  of 

Various  kindnesses  suggested  by  the 

Chicago 

Charities  workers;  sharing  boys' 
magazines,  etc. 

High  school  I 

United  Charities  of 

Various  kindnesses  suggested  by  the 

Chicago 

Charities  workers;  sharing  boys' 
magazines,  etc. 

Grade  8 

Chicago  Home  for  the 

Making     garments     according     to 

Friendless 

samples  furnished 

Grade  8 

Chicago  Home  for  the 

Home-made     games;       home-made 

Friendless 

candy 

Grade  7 

St.  Mary's  Home  for 

[Making  scrapbooks;    sewing  simple 

Children 

articles 

Grade  7 

St.  Mary's  Home  for 

Making  scrapbooks;    sewing  simple 

ChUdren 

articles 

Grade  7 

Chicago  Home  for  Boys 

Home-made    games;        home-made 

candy 

Grade  6 

Chicago  Home  for  Boys 

Home-made   games;         home-made 

candy 

89 


90 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


Training  Children  to  Serve — Continued 


Class 

Working  For 

Form  of  Work 

Grade  6 

Children's  Hospital  work, 
St.  Luke's,  Cook  Co. 

Children's  Hospital  work, 
St.  Luke's,  Cook  Co. 

Woman's   Auxiliary    (ele- 
mentary, Sunshine 
Workers)  home  and 
foreign  missions 

Assist.  Sunshine  Workers 

Assist.  Sunshine  Workers 
Assist.  Sunshine  Workers 

Parish,  diocesan,  and  for- 
eign missions 

Parish,  diocesan,  and  for- 
eign missions 

Woman's  Auxiliary,  Sun- 
shine  Workers,  foreign 
and  home  missions 

Woman's  Auxiliary,  Sun- 
shine Workers,   foreign 
and  home  missions 

Alaska,  Japanese,  and 
Home  missions 

Boys'  Home,  Girls'  Home, 

St.  Mary's  Orphanage 

of  Holy  Child 
Boys'  Home,  (iirls'  Home, 

St.  Mary's  Orphanage 

of  Holy  Child 
Parish  missions;   Sunday 

school  Home;  St. 

David's 
Parish  missions;   Sunday 

school  Home;   St. 

David's 
Parish  missions;  Sunday 

school  Home,  St. 

David's 

Making  surprise  bags,  dressing  dolls. 

Grade  6  

bedroom  slippers 
Making  surprise  bags,  dressing  dolls, 

Grade  5 

bedroom  slippers 
Sewing;    housekeepers;    quilting  for 

Grade  "C 

Providence  Nurser}-;  screens 
Carpenter   work;     screens,   quilting 

Grade  5 

frames;   raising  money 
Carpenter   work;     screens,    quilting 

Grade  4 

frames;   raising  money 
Sewing;      housekeepers;      quilting; 

Grade  4.     

scrapbooksfor  contagious  patients; 
Alaska  missions 
Raising  money  to  buy  materials,  etc. ; 

Grade  4 

selling  magazines,  etc.;   caring  for 
prayer-books  and  hymnals 
Raising  monev  to  buv  materials,  etc.; 

Grade  3   

selling  magazines,  etc.;   caring  for 
prayer-books  and  hymnals 
Sewing;    housekeepers;    scrapbooks 

Grade  3 

for  shut-ins  to  send  to  Alaska 
Sewing;    housekeepers;    scrapbooks 

Grade  ^ 

for  shut-ins  to  send  to  Alaska 
Helping  some  child  in  each  place; 

Grade  2 

parish    activities — errands,   circu- 
lating petitions 
Raise  money,  or  bring  things  to  help 

Grade  2 

some  individual  child  in  the  home 
Raise  money,  or  bring  things  to  help 

Grade  i 

some  individual  child  in  the  home 
Ministering   to   sick;    flowers,   etc.; 

Grade  i 

mail   lessons   to   shut-ins;     corre- 
spondence school 
Ministering   to   sick;     flowers,   etc.; 

Kindergarten 

mail    lessons    to    shut-ins;     corre- 
spondence school 
Ministering   to   sick;    flowers,   etc.; 
mail   lessons   to   shut-ins;     corre- 
spondence school 

The  regular  work  of  visiting  sick  classmates  and  looking  up 
absentees  is  not  included  in  this  outline,  for  that  is  a  part  of  the 
work  of  the  entire  school.  For  the  same  reason  no  mention  is 
made  of  the  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  baskets  and  gifts.  The 
purpose  of  the  plan  is  thus  stated: 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  91 

I.  To  systematize  the  activities  of  the  school  and  to  assist  each  class  in 
selecting  definite  work  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  its  members. 

2.  To  make  an  impression  strong,  definite,  and  lasting  of  at  least  one 
of  the  good  social  agencies  each  year. 

3.  To  arouse  a  genuine  social  spirit  in  our  young  people  based  upon  the 
desire  to  put  into  daily  operation  the  fruit  of  their  Christian  knowledge. 

4.  To  assist  busy  teachers  in  securing  a  worthy  and  interesting  purpose  for 
their  outside  class  meetings  and  to  develop  in  the  pupils  a  wholesome  class 
spirit  while  they  work  together  for  the  good  of  others. 

The  work  is  in  charge  of  a  secretary  of  activities  who  meets, 
from  time  to  time,  the  groups  and  grades  doing  the  same  work,  to 
stimulate  their  interest  and  to  discover  the  problems  which  have 
arisen.  A  special  effort  is  made  to  obtain  representatives  of  the 
various  organizations  and  societies  to  visit  the  school  and  present 
their  work.  Short  talks  are  given,  circulars  of  information  espe- 
cially prepared  are  distributed,  and  interesting  pictures  illustrating 
philanthropic  enterprises  and  cut  from  annual  reports  are  mounted 
on  large  cards  and  circulated  among  the  classes.  As  a  concrete 
illustration  of  one  feature  of  their  educational  method  we  insert 
one  of  the  circulars  of  information. 

The  United  Charities 

1.  What  it  is: 

Society  for  organizing  the  charities  of  Chicago,  and  relief  society. 

2.  When  founded: 

In  March,  1908,  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  organized  and  chartered  in 
1851,  amalgamated  with  the  Bureau  of  Charities,  founded  in  1893,  and  took 
the  new  name  "  United  Charities  of  Chicago." 

3.  Purpose: 

To  provide  for  dependent  families,  in  their  homes,  such  personal  service 
and  relief  service  as  will  help  them  toward  permanent  self-support. 

4.  How  supported: 

By  private  subscription. 

5.  Number  of  workers  in  Chicago  and  general  methods  of  work: 

One  hundred  and  fifty  workers,  nine  district  ofiicers,  one  general  office. 
Personal  investigation  and  supervision  of  all  applications  for  help.  Regis- 
tration Bureau  a  clearing-center  for  all  social  agencies  in  Chicago. 

6.  Number  of  inmates,  or  estimate  of  number  of  people  reached  annually: 
Last  year,  October,  1911-October,  191 2,  the  Society  helped  80,000  persons, 
in  18,889  families. 

7.  Does  it  exist  in  other  cities  than  Chicago? 
Yes. 


92  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

8.  Greatest  need  of  the  organization  at  the  present  time: 

Informed  and  thinking  friends  willing  to  serve  the  society  and  the  poor  in 
lines  of  personal  service  and  money  service. 

9.  How  young  people  of  Chicago  can  help  the  work: 

a)  Personal  service:  Friendly  visiting,  clerical  work  in  district  office,  accom- 
pany patients  to  clinics  and  friends  of  patients  to  visit  them  at  Hospital, 
House  of  Correction,  etc.,  tutor  backward  children,  find  proper  work  for 
fourteen-  or  fifteen-year-old  child,  take  children  to  park  or  for  regular 
fresh-air  walk. 

b)  Relief:  Material  or  money.  Supply  milk  for  underfed  and  tubercular 
children,  clothing  for  children,  especially  shoes,  stockings,  underclothing, 
night  clothing,  etc.  Assist  visiting  housekeeper  by  making  fireless 
cookers,  furnishing  kitchen  utensils,  extra  bedding,  face  towels,  tea 
towels,  brooms,  closet  and  cupboard  fixtures,  etc. 

An  essential  part  of  the  plan  is  the  report  which  must  be  made 
to  the  secretary  of  activities.  This  report  makes  it  possible  to  keep 
a  permanent  record  of  all  the  endeavors  of  the  school  and  to  pre- 
vent any  work  being  neglected  through  omission  or  oversight. 
Some  four  months  after  the  program  was  inaugurated  the  following 
report  appeared  in  the  church  calendar : 

Training  the  Children  to  Serve 

Some  weeks  ago  we  published  our  schedule  of  activities,  by  means  of 
which  we  are  training  our  boys  and  girls  of  the  school  of  religious  education  to 
put  into  practical  operation  the  good  principles  they  learn  from  their  books  and 
teachers.  A  good  deal  of  real  work  has  been  done.  A  definite  work  is  assigned 
to  each  grade  in  the  school. 

Some  things  accomplished  are  these:  The  third-year  high-school  pupils 
gave  a  play  by  which  they  earned  money  to  help  the  Juvenile  Protective  Asso- 
ciation. The  first-  and  second-year  high-school  grades  have  sent  a  box  of  gifts 
to  an  orphanage  and  are  at  work  preparing  a  "Quarter  Bazaar"  for  the  benefit 
of  a  girls'  school  in  the  South.  The  boys  of  these  grades  have  assisted  the 
United  Charities,  and  some  of  them  are  mailing  their  books  and  magazines  to 
other  boys.  They  have  also  made  some  fireless  cookers  for  some  of  the  pen- 
sioned families  of  the  district.  The  eighth-grade  boys  have  made  popcorn  balls 
and  candy  and  have  taken  it  to  the  Home  for  the  Friendless.  The  seventh- 
grade  girls  have  made  scrapbooks  and  dressed  dolls  for  the  children  at  St. 
Mary's  Home.  The  sixth-  and  sevenlh-grade  boys  have  taken  bundles  of 
clothing  to  the  Home  for  Boys.  The  sixth-grade  girls  have  made  little  surprise 
bags,  bedroom  slippers,  and  paper  dolls  for  the  children  of  Cook  County  and 
St.  Luke's  hospitals.  Throughout  the  entire  school,  and  particularly  in  the 
junior  and  primary  departments,  special  works  of  kindness  are  being  done  for 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  93 

absent  members  of  the  classes,  such  as  visiting  them  when  sick,  carrying 
flowers,  etc.  At  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  the  boys  and  girls  co-operated 
actively  in  providing  baskets  of  provisions,  games,  books,  etc.,  for  needy  people. 
A  jolly  Christmas  party  of  children  brought  in  by  the  United  Charities  workers 
was  entertained  by  the  Girls'  Club  during  the  holidays. 

This  very  brief  report  will  show  how  directly  the  children  are  learning  to 
take  an  active  interest  in  others,  and  to  share  gladly  with  them  as  well  as  to 
do  personal  acts  of  kindness  for  them.  They  are  learning  the  meaning  of  the 
words,  "Inasmuch  as  you  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my 
brethren,  you  have  done  it  unto  me." 

While  little  more  than  a  summary,  this  is  an  exceedingly  valuable 
report,  for  it  shows  how  completely  the  program  of  the  school  was 
carried  out  and  estabHshes  the  feasibihty  of  making  social  service 
a  regular  feature  in  the  program  of  a  school. 

§  2.      HYDE   PARK   BAPTIST   CHURCH,    CHICAGO 

The  technique  of  this  school  is  quite  different.  With  a  graded 
program  as  its  ideal  and  a  full  desire  for  its  realization,  instead  of 
assigning  special  tasks  it  has  encouraged  each  class  to  discover  its 
own  work  and  develop  its  own  program.  Suggestion  and  direction 
are  not  excluded.  But  no  definite  hne  of  endeavor  is  laid  down  and 
the  work  of  one  class  is  not  specifically  related  to  the  others.  A 
detailed  description  of  the  social  service  of  this  school  is  hardly 
necessary,  as  it  is  largely  made  up  of  the  usual  forms  of  work  for 
famihes  and  institutions.  As  the  work  of  the  kindergarten,  how- 
ever, is  of  a  high  order,  and  as  many  find  it  difficult  to  select  tasks 
for  the  httle  folks,  it  may  be  well  to  describe  this  work  somewhat 
fully. 

One  of  the  impressive  features  in  this  kindergarten  is  the  effort 
which  is  made  to  relate  the  activities  of  the  children  with  the 
instruction  which  is  given,  and  behind  all  the  gifts  they  make  for 
others  and  the  Httle  services  which  they  do  for  one  another  there  is 
a  carefully  thought  out  course  of  teaching  which  leads  gradually 
and  yet  decidedly  to  the  tasks  which  they  undertake.  We  shall 
begin  with  the  seasons,  and  the  first  is: 

Thanksgiving. — About  six  weeks  are  required  to  lead  up  nicely 
to  Thanksgiving,  and  so  for  the  six  Sundays  preceding  Thanks- 
giving all  the  talks  are  planned  in  harmony  with  the  ultimate  end. 


94  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

The  aim  is  to  develop  a  spirit  of  gratitude  which  will  express  itself 
in  giving.  Much  is  made  of  Thanksgiving  as  the  close  of  the 
harvest  season.  Then  from  this  general  thought  of  the  harvest 
time  a  skilful  transition  is  made  to  our  individual  and  family 
preparations  for  the  coming  winter.  The  children  are  asked/'  What 
is  mother  making  and  putting  away  for  the  winter?"  Then  the 
suggestion  is  made,  "Suppose  each  of  us  brings  something  that  we 
have  stored  away  for  the  winter  so  that  we  may  see  what  a  lot  of 
things  we  have."  Then  a  specific  article  is  named  and  each  child 
is  given  a  note  to  take  home  which  explains  the  plan.  When  the 
articles  are  brought  together  still  another  efi"ort  is  made  to  deepen 
the  sense  of  gratitude.  Then  comes  the  suggestion,  ''Suppose 
we  give  these  to  some  other  people  who  have  not  as  much  as  we 
have."  It  is  always  put  in  this  comparative  way  and  great  care 
is  exercised  in  the  choice  of  words  and  in  avoidance  of  class  terms. 
In  this  description  we  have  only  the  bare  bones  of  a  plan  that  a 
skilful  teacher  requires  six  weeks  to  develop. 

Christmas. — At  Christmas  the  emphasis  is  on  the  side  of  giving 
and  all  the  lessons  are  intended  to  bring  out  with  increasing  clear- 
ness that  Christmas  means  giving.  Last  Christmas  the  suggestion 
of  their  giving  was  made  in  this  form:  "I  know  a  place  where  they 
are  going  to  have  a  Christmas  tree  for  a  great  many  children — 
let  us  help."  Any  questions  that  arise  are  answered  ^ith  great 
care  and  the  need  of  help  is  explained  in  terms  of  their  own  expe- 
rience. 

Easter. — The  interest  of  children  in  Easter  is  small.  It  is  too 
far  away  from  children  for  them  to  celebrate  and  it  is  not  possible 
to  make  a  climax  here  with  little  children  as  at  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas.  This  year  bulbs  were  given  to  the  little  folks  at  the 
appropriate  time  and  they  were  asked  to  plant  them  and  care  for 
them.  Then  on  Palm  Sunday  reference  was  made  to  these  bulbs, 
the  coming  Easter  Sunday  was  spoken  of,  the  children  were  told  that 
all  the  churches  were  to  be  decorated  with  flowers,  and  they  were 
asked  to  bring  their  flowering  bulbs. 

Children's  Day. — Children's  Day  was  preceded  by  a  number  of 
talks  about  the  church.  The  first  talk  was  about  the  room  itself; 
its  largeness — there  was  room  for  all  the  people.     Then  they  talked 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  95 

about  the  beautiful  things  they  found  there — the  windows,  the 
organ,  the  desk.  Then  the  talk  passed  to  making  the  church 
beautiful  for  a  special  day.  Then  all  agreed  to  bring  flowers- 
cut  flowers  prove  most  successful — on  Children's  Day.  The  flowers 
were  afterward  sent  to  a  hospital  for  children. 

In  addition  to  these  seasonal  gifts  the  children  are  interested 
in  regular  forms  of  benevolence  and  drop  their  pennies  in  four 
boxes  of  different  colors  and  designated  by  terms  which  the  children 
understand. 

General  expenses. — Their  Sunday-school  box:  Whenever  any- 
thing is  brought  in  the  teacher  calls  the  children's  attention  to  it 
and  the  question  is  raised,  "Who  is  going  to  pay  for  it  ?  " 

Missions. — The  teacher  talks  about  the  children's  own  Sunday 
school  and  how  they  come  every  Sunday  and  what  they  do.  Then 
they  are  told  that  some  children  have  no  Sunday  school  and  no 
stories.  "What  can  we  do?"  the  teacher  asks  them.  Then  she 
suggests  making  scrapbooks  with  pictures  of  stories  which  they  have 
heard  and  can  recall,  and  little  books  are  made  with  such  pictures 
as  Moses,  Joseph,  Rebekah,  and  Samuel  from  the  Old  Testament 
and  similar  ones  from  the  New  Testament. 

Benevolence. — A  little  talk  is  given  on  hospitals — just  enough 
to  bring  out  the  fact  that  sometimes  when  children  are  sick  their 
mothers  do  not  know  how  to  take  care  of  them.  What  will  happen 
to  them  when  the  nurse  is  not  with  them  ?  What  will  they  have  to 
play  with  ?    So  arises  the  suggestion  that  they  make  scrapbooks. 

Special  offerings. — These  come  occasionally,  when  something 
happens  which  people  are  talking  about.  Just  recently  the  chil- 
dren gave  money  for  the  flood  sufferers.  One  summer  they  gave  to 
Jackson  Park  Sanitarium.  Another  time  they  bought  chairs  and 
tables  for  a  kindergarten  in  the  South. 

In  addition  to  all  this  the  children  do  much  occasional  social 
work.  Last  winter  they  folded  papers  and  inclosed  them  in 
envelopes  to  be  sent  to  their  sick  classmates,  cut  out  pictures  and 
made  tiny  scrapbooks  for  them,  and  sent  out  a  number  of  valentines 
which  they  had  made  themselves. 

To  one  who  is  looking  for  something  spectacular  this  statement 
of  facts  may  not  be  very  impressive.     But  in  the  lives  of  the  little 


96 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


folks  the  work  itself  is  most  impressive,  for  it  constitutes  their  own 
reaction  to  the  lesson  they  are  being  taught  and  carries  the  full 
value  of  a  free,  expressive  activity. 

§  3.      CHURCH   OF   THE   DISCIPLES,    BOSTON 

The  plan  in  use  in  this  school  has  borne  the  test  of  several  years 
of  experience.  It  is  described  by  Mrs,  Clara  Bancroft  Beatley  in 
Bulletin  No.  21  of  the  "Social  Service  Series"  issued  by  the  Ameri- 
can Unitarian  Association. 

Disciples'  Plan  for  Social  Service  of  Class  Groups 


Kindergarten  Department 

Ages  four  to  five  years 
Primary  Department 

Ages  five  to  seven  years 

Grades  i,  2 

Upper  Primary  Department 

Ages  seven  to  nine  years 

Grades  3,  4 
Junior  Department 

Ages  nine  to  eleven  years 

Grades  5,  6 
Upper  Junior  Department 

Ages  eleven  to  thirteen  years 

Grades  7,  8 
Senior  Department 

Ages  thirteen  to  fifteen  years 

Grades  9,  10 

Upper  Senior  Department 
Ages  fifteen  to  seventeen  years 
Grades  11,  12 

Advanced  Department 
Ages  seventeen  to  twenty-one 
and  upward 

Adult  Bible  Class 
Ages  twenty-one  years  and  up- 
ward 


Gifts  to  Kindergarten  for  the 
Blind 

Gifts  to  homes  for  crippled  chil- 
dren 

Visits  and  gifts  to  home  libraries 
established  by  the  Children's 
Aid  Society 

The  Animal  Rescue  League, 
visits,  membership,  and  con- 
tributions 

The  South  End  Industrial  School, 
gifts  and  visits 

Visits  and  gifts  to  fraternity 
chapels 

Elizabeth  Peabody  House;    the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Union, 
including     Country     Week; 
homes  for  the  aged,  visits  to 
entertain,  and  gifts 

Gifts    and    visits    to    the    grade 
schools  for  the  adult  blind 


°  to 

c  a, 


o 


H 

e 


Z2  « 

Opt; 


T3 

C 

K 

I 
I 

C 
o 


Mrs.  Beatley  gives  the  following  detailed  account  of  the  work: 

The  Upper  Primary  and  the  Junior  departments  (Grades  3,  4,  5,  6) 
unite  in  a  Ten  Times  One  Club  which  meets  at  the  church  monthly,  at  five 
o'clock,  for  social  purposes.     This  club  may  plan  for  a  lecture  to  which  parents 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  97 

and  friends  are  invited;  it  may  make  scrapbooks  for  the  "home  libraries," 
or  prepare  bandages  for  suffering  animals.  The  hour  may  be  spent  in  reading 
a  new  book,  especially  one  that  is  intimately  associated  with  the  work  at  hand. 
A  visit  is  planned  to  a  home  library,  with  its  need  of  collecting  books  for  chil- 
dren. A  notice  is  arranged  for  the  Church  Calendar  which  states  that  the 
Ten  Times  One  Club  will  welcome  the  gift  of  children's  books  to  distribute 
in  the  home  Hbraries  of  the  Children's  Aid  Society.  An  out-of-door  day  is 
plaimed  in  June  when  all  are  to  visit  the  retreat  in  the  country  for  aged  horses 
to  learn  something  of  the  humane  care  given  to  these  dumb  animals;  gift 
books  on  animals  are  chosen  for  schools;  a  prize  is  offered  for  an  essay  upon 
kindness  to  animals,  to  be  written  by  boys  from  twelve  to  fourteen.  Is  a  fair 
in  progress  for  the  benefit  of  the  Animal  Rescue  League  ?  Here  is  the  oppor- 
tunity to»  plan,  in  Ten  Times  One,  what  can  be  done.  Shall  the  parents  be 
asked  to  contribute  to  a  table,  or  to  visit  the  fair  and  purchase  an  article,  or 
will  someone  make  a  cake  for  the  food  table  ?  The  treasury  of  the  club  is  made 
up  of  the  class  contributions  taken  on  successive  Sundays  throughout  the  year. 

The  Upper  Junior  grades  are  interested  in  the  South  End  Industrial 
School,  which  it  visits  in  groups  and  assists  occasionally  by  giving  time  on 
Saturdays This  class  group  of  twelve  members  was  able  to  con- 
tribute in  two  years  thirty-four  dollars  to  the  work. 

"Fraternity  chapels"  claim  the  interest  of  the  first  and  second  years  of 
the  Senior  Department,  a  part  of  the  work  being  to  understand  something  of 
the  Benevolent  Fraternity  in  Boston,  and  to  help  especially  the  work  of  the 
North  End  Union  and  the  kindergarten  of  the  Parker  Memorial.  Visits  are 
made  to  the  classes  of  the  North  End  Union,  books  are  given  to  its  Hbrary, 
and  such  other  aid  rendered  as  the  superintendent  of  the  Union  suggests. 

Other  details  are  given  by  Mrs.  Beatley,  but  we  have  quoted 
enough  to  show  the  working  methods  of  this  interesting  program, 

§  4.      FIRST   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,    BUFFALO 

Equally  suggestive  is  the  technique  of  this  school,  which  issues 
a  dainty  and  interesting  brochure  of  twenty-one  pages  descriptive 
of  its  work  as  a  church  school.  Four  excerpts  taken  from  the  intro- 
ductory statement  of  this  brochure  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  ideals 
and  methods  of  this  school. 

Aim. — The  aim  of  the  Church  School,  as  a  whole,  may  be  defined  thus: 
To  develop  instructed  and  trained  Christian  lives  consecrated  to  the  realization 
of  God's  kingdom  on  earth.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  the  comprehensive  biblical 
term  for  all  the  good  God  desires  for  man. 

Organization. — The  Church  School  is  the  name  of  the  institution  which  is 
created  to  carry  into  effect  the  educational  ministry  of  the  church.  It  includes 
a  school  of  worship  (church  service),  a  school  of  instruction  (the  Sunday  school), 


98 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


and  a  school  of  training  for  service  (the  young  people's  societies).  These 
should  be  properly  correlated  as  integral  factors  in  a  unitary  educational  plan. 
It  has  a  young  people's  division  and  an  adult  division. 

Method. — The  method  is  the  method  of  wise  nurture.  The  Church  School 
seeks  the  same  general  end  as  all  the  other  major  agencies  of  the  church,  but  it 
seeks  that  end  by  an  educational  method,  i.e.,  by  instruction  in  Christian 
knowledge  and  by  training  for  Christian'  service.  Both  instruction  and 
training  should  be  carried  on  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  worship. 

Instruction  and  training  for  service. — Training  for  service  can  best  be  given 
by  actual  service,  but  by  service  which  awakens  the  interest  and  is  within  the 
power  of  the  young  people.  Every  relation  in  life  opens  up  opportunities  of 
Christian  service,  but  these  are  sometimes  not  seen  and  therefore  not  seized. 
The  characteristic  environment  of  the  primary  child  is  the  home;  of  the  junior 
child,  the  play  circle  and  the  school;  of  the  intermediate  youth,  entering  upon  a 
larger  world,  the  church  as  a  parish  and  the  city;  of  the  senior,  the  country  and 
the  world.  Each  of  these  should  be  studied  with  a  view  to  discovering  what 
each  environment  oflfers  in  the  way  of  opportunity  for  service. 

With  this  interpretative  word  of  introduction  we  shall  find  it 
easy  to  understand  and  to  appreciate  the  following  outline : 


Sunday  School 

The  Kindergarten 
Ages  four,  five  years 


Primary  Department 
Ages  six,  seven,  eight  years 


Junior  Department 
Ages  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve 
years 


Plan  of  Organization 
the  young  people's  division 

Young  People's  Societies 

Mission  Band 
Methods:   Work  for  others  under  direc- 
tion.   The  home  as  a  field  of  service 

Primary  Society 
Ages  six,  seven,  eight  years 
Methods:  Work  for  others  under  direc- 
tion; preparation  of  annual  Christmas 
box  for  a  colored  school  in  the  South; 
purchase  and  decoration  of  Christmas 
tree  for  some  worthy  and  needy  family 
in  the  city;  the  gift  of  one  or  more 
Thanksgiving  dinners 

Junior  Societies 

Ages  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve  years 
Methods:  The  school  and  play  circles  as 
ik'lds  of  service.  One  chief  duty  of  the 
four  adult  leaders  will  be  to  find  work  for 
the  children  to  do  that  is  on  the  plane  of 
their  interest  and  capacity 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE 


99 


Intermediate  Department 
Ages  thirteen,  fourteen,  fifteen, 
sixteen  years 


Senior  Department 
Ages  seventeen,  eighteen,  nine-  ■ 
teen,  twenty  years 


'  Intermediate  societies 

Ages  thirteen,  fourteen,   fifteen,  sixteen 
years 
Methods: 
I.  Intermediate   Boys'    Club.    The    Boy 
Scouts.    Useful  service  to  be  sought  and 
done 
II.  Intermediate  Girls'  Club.    The  parish 
and  city  as  fields  of  service.    Sewing 
once  a  month 

Senior  Society 
Ages  seventeen,  eighteen,  nineteen,  twenty 
years 

Methods:  Seminar,  sociables,  practical 
service,  the  country  (home  missions) ,  and 
the  world  (foreign  missions)  as  fields 
of  service.  One  feature  of  meetings 
presentation  of  plans  of  work  and  reports 
of  work 


§  5-      WINNETKA  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

This  church  has  a  unique  feature  in  its  Sunday-school  benevo- 
lence. The  social  service  of  the  school  consists  largely  in  the  giving 
of  money,  but  a  regulation  of  the  school  requires  that  all  the  money 
which  is  given  either  be  earned  or  come  out  of  the  allowance  of  the 
giver.  The  first  effect  of  this  requirement  was  a  decrease  in  the 
offerings,  but  recovery  was  rapid  and  the  permanent  result  was 
increased  generosity.  We  shall  present  this  program  in  two  distinct 
forms. 

Kindergarten 


Object 

Our  home  church 
Our  home  city 


Instruction 

About  church,  Bible  school, 
community  house 

Stories  of  child  life  in  Chi- 
cago through  use  of 
pictures  of  Gad's  Hill 
Settlement,  Chicago 
Commons,  Children's 
Memorial   Hospital 


Gift 

A  picture  to  Bible  school 

Apples  for  Gad's  Hill  chil- 
dren Thanksgiving  Day. 
Toys  for  Chicago  Com- 
mons at  Christmas.  Toys 
and  clothing — Margaret 
G.  Scrapbooks  for  Chil- 
dren's Hospital  as  Christ- 
mas presents 


100 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


Children  of  other    Stories  of  Chinese  child  life.     Money  to  support  a  school 
schools  (Chinese)        Pictures  of  the  same  for  Chinese  children  for 

one  year 


Object 

October,  Novem- 
ber: Our  home 
church 

December,  Janu- 
ary: City  mis- 
sions 

February,  March: 
Home  missions 

April,  May:  For- 
eign missions 


Primary  Department 
missionary  work 

Instruction 

About  our  pastors,  choirs, 
clubs,  through  pictures  of 
the  church 

Stories  of  Chicago  Com- 
mons. Pictures  of  Chi- 
cago Commons 

Story  of  Dr.  Grenfell  and 
his  work.  Pictures  used 
to  illustrate  the  work 

Stories  of  China's  children. 
Pictures  of  Chinese  child 
life 


Gift 


Money  given  to  the  church 


Christmas  gifts  and  money 
sent  to  Chicago  Com- 
mons 

Money  for  Dr.  Grenfell 's 
work 

Money  sent  to  China  for 
children's  work 


Fourth  Grade 
missionary  work 

Object 

1.  The  home   church:  services   and 
activities 

2.  The  city:  its  needs 

3.  Work  among  negroes:    Booker  T. 
Washington 

4.  Work  among  Indians:  Santee  Mis-      Seven  weeks  to  Santee  Indian  Mis- 


Gift 
Six  weeks  to  home  church 

Seven  weeks  to  city  work 

Seven  weeks  to  Tuskegee  Institute 


sion 


sion 
Eleven  weeks  to  foreign  work 


5.  Foreign    missions:    J.    G.    Paton; 
Alexander  Mackay 

The  weeks  refer  to  the  length  of  time  during  which  offerings  were  made  for   the  respective 
interests. 

Fifth  Grade 
One  aim  of  this  grade  is  to  stimulate  an  interest  in  Christian  work  both  at 
home  and  abroad.    With  this  in  view  the  grade  studies  about: 

1.  Joseph  Hardy  Ncesima. 

2.  David  Livingstone. 

3.  Industrial  School  at  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico. 

The  offerings  for  the  year  were  $23.50  and  were  apportioned  as  follows: 

1 .  Home  church $450 

2.  Work  in  Japan 5 .  00 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  101 

3.  Industrial  School  at  Albuquerque $6 .  00 

4.  Work  in  Africa 5  ■  00 

5.  Community  House 3 .  00 

Sixth  Grade 

The  offerings  for  the  year  were  allotted  to  the  following  objects: 

1.  Tuskegee  Institute. 

2.  Girls'  school  in  Turkey. 

3.  Home  church. 

4.  Dr.  Grenfell  Association. 

Seventh  Grade 

Gifts  from  this  grade  were  sent  to : 

1.  The  little  children  of  Bulgaria. 

2.  Gad's  HiU. 

Eighth  Grade 

Gifts  Girls 

1.  Little  children  of  Bulgaria $10. 00 

2.  Daily  News  Fresh  Air  Fund 12 .  10 

Gifts  Boys 

Religious  Education  Association $10. 00 

High  School 

The  classes  of  the  high-school  grade  adopt  the  benevolent  scheme  of  the 
church  and  are  supplied  with  envelopes  on  which  all  of  the  benevolent  objects 
are  named,  together  with  the  percentage  which  they  receive. 

The  program  of  this  school  has  also  been  tabulated  in  the 
following  interesting  form: 

What  We  Do  for  Others 

Giving 
Money: 

1.  To  city  needs:  Pay  rent  of  family;  Da^Vy  iVew5  Fresh  Air  Fund. 

2.  To  home  missions:   Indians;    Santee;    Dr.  Grenfell. 

3.  To  foreign  missions:    Bulgarian  and  Chinese  children;    Japan;    Africa. 

4.  To  flood  sufferers. 

5.  Educational:     Tuskegee    Institute;     Industrial    School,    Albuquerque; 
Religious  Education  Association. 

Personal  Service: 

1.  Leadership  of  club. 

2.  Teaching  classes. 

3.  Entertaining  groups  from  the  city: 

a)  Neighborhood  Club.    This  club  entertains  100  girls  from  Association 
Club. 


102  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

b)  Camp  Fire  Girls.    They  entertain  six  little  girls  one  day  every  week 
during  the  summer. 

4.  Dress  babies.    A  baby  is  chosen  for  whom  the  group  becomes  responsible. 

5.  Dress  dolls. 

6.  Make  scrapbooks. 

7.  Make  candy. 
Materials: 

1.  Thanksgiving  baskets  and  Christmas  gifts. 

2.  Summer — flowers. 

3.  Lake  Bluff  Orphan  Asylum — Dolls. 

4.  Scrapbooks  for  hospital. 

5.  Gifts— Children's  Ward,  City  Hospital. 

6.  Apples— Gad's  HiU. 

7.  Toys  and  clothing  to  Margaret  G. 

§  6.      THE   PROTESTANT   EPISCOPAL   PROGRAM 

This  program  is  taken  from  the  standard  curriculum  prepared  by 
the  General  Board  of  Religious  Education  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church.  It  designates  *'the  activities  of  the  pupils  in  the 
parochial  and  social  life  of  which  they  are  a  part,  both  as  members 
of  the  congregation  of  a  particular  parish  and  as  members  of  the 
city  or  town  in  which  they  hve."  Training  for  these  activities  is 
correlated  with  ''church  knowledge  and  the  devotional." 

Primary  Department 
kindergarten:   ages  four,  five 
primary  grades:   ages  six  to  eight 

1.  Acts  of  loving  kindness  to  people  and  animals,  helpfulness  to  parents  and 
teachers,  and  pleasantness  in  home  life. 

2.  Ministry  to  sick  and  needy. 

3.  Interest  in  the  font  roll. 

Junior  Department 
ages  nine  to  thirteen 

1.  Personal  and  social  duties  to  God  and  our  neighbors  based  upon  Holy 
Scriptures  and  set  forth  in  the  catechism. 

2.  Share  in  the  corporate  life  of  the  parish,  through  the  various  parochial 
activities  and  gilds,  e.g..  Junior  auxiliary  candidates  for  the  Girls'  Friendly 
Society,  Boy  Scouts,  Knights  of  King  Arthur,  etc. 

3.  Efforts  to  bring  others  to  church  and  Sunday  school. 

4.  Gifts  to  missions  based  upon  concrete  information. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  103 

5.  Taking  part  in  mission  plays  and  making  articles  to  be  sold  for  the  Lenten 
oflfering. 

6.  Collecting  magazines  for  homes  and  hospitals. 

7.  Giving  to  specific  local  needs. 

8.  Making  friends  and  being  friendly  to  new  boys  and  girls  in  the  schools, 
playgrounds,  and  other  social  centers. 

9.  Visiting  the  sick  and  needy  and  institutions  as  far  as  suitable. 

Senior  Department 
ages  fotjrteen  to  seventeen 

1.  Encourage  the  pupils  to  fulfil  their  responsibility  to  other  scholars  as 
leaders,  helpers,  and  examples,  especially  in  bringing  others  to  Church, 
confirmation,  and  holy  communion;  and  to  continue  their  share  in  the 
parochial  and  general  activities  of  the  church,  such  as  membership  in 
missionary  societies  and  missionary  study  classes. 

2.  Older  scholars  should  be  interested  in  matters  pertaining  to  public  welfare 
as  expressions  of  their  Christian  faith  and  life. 

Graduate  Department 

AGES   eighteen   AND    OVER 

All  members  should  be  engaged  in  some  definite  active  service  in  the 
church,  and  should  prepare  themselves  to  become  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
school. 

§  7.      SUMMARY 

The  formulation  of  a  graded  program  of  social  service  is  not  a 
forbidding  task  if  we  refuse  to  be  carried  away  by  the  prevalent 
desire  for  something  elaborate  and  imposing.  A  curriculum  of 
social  service  may  be  very  simple  and  yet  very  effective,  for  while 
it  is  simple  it  recognizes  that  everybody  can  do  something  and 
finds  that  something  for  everybody  to  do. 

But  is  a  graded  program  feasible  in  all  Sunday  schools  irrespec- 
tive of  the  economic  character  of  the  environing  community?  It 
is  a  prevalent  idea,  especially  where  there  is  a  tendency  to  stress 
the  idea  of  charity,  that  social  service  belongs  to  the  institutional 
church  whose  neighborhood  makes  a  large  demand  for  assistance. 
A  review  of  the  situation,  however,  shows  that  the  Sunday  schools 
in  which  social  service  is  highly  organized  are  by  no  means  restricted 
to  downtown  districts  or  areas  contiguous  to  the  slums.  Nearly 
all  of  the  schools  whose  programs  we  have  given  are  located  in 
good  residential  districts.    A  moment's  reflection  is  sufficient  to 


104  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

explain  this  fact.  If  a  Sunday  school  is  encompassed  by  human 
need  it  will,  out  of  its  own  good  impulses,  spontaneously  do  much 
social  ser\ace.  The  strong  and  repeated  stimulus  of  its  surround- 
ings will  evoke  an  immediate  response.  The  demand  knocks  at 
all  hearts.  The  summons  is  insistent.  No  time  is  spent  in  waiting 
to  organize.  Things  are  done  at  once,  and,  often  without  much 
definite  thought,  social  service  comes  to  fill  a  large  place  in  the  hfe 
of  the  school. 

But  when  a  Sunday  school  is  more  remote  from  human  misery 
and  its  members  do  not  assemble  struggle,  misfortune,  or  defeat 
into  their  own  experience,  any  significant  participation  in  social 
service  is  conditioned  on  an  effective  relating  of  the  school  to  distant 
social  conditions.  Social  service  in  such  a  school  must  be  planned 
for  and  organized  if  it  is  to  be  done  at  all.  The  weak  and  fitful 
stimulus  of  unfamiliar  and  unappreciated  social  conditions,  about 
which  the  glowing  hght  of  the  imagination  does  not  play,  cannot 
be  relied  upon  to  produce  a  worthy  and  substantial  response. 
Interest  in  welfare  work  under  such  conditions  is  assured  only  when 
social  service  is  given  a  definite  and  vital  place  in  the  formulated 
program  of  the  school.  So  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  Sunday  schools 
in  residential  districts  which  are  doing  significant  social  service  are 
schools  whose  programs  are  more  or  less  thoroughly  organized, 
for  the  very  fact  that  a  school  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  prosperity 
and  happiness  makes  organization  the  more  imperative. 


CHAPTER  V 
EDUCATION  IN  MONEY-GIVING 

A  foremost  task  of  religious  education  is  the  culture  of  the 
benevolent  spirit  so  as  to  insure  a  fine  subjective  effect  as  well  as  a 
worthy  form  of  expression.  As  the  term  is  used  by  the  church, 
benevolence  should  certainly  be  benevolent  in  its  reflex  influence. 
Its  educational  returns  should  be  unmistakable  and  of  significant 
moral  quaHty.  Giving  should  be  a  training  in  giving,  developing 
a  generous,  unselfish  spirit,  increasing  the  power  of  discriminating 
choice,  adding  to  the  wealth  of  life  a  wide  range  of  superb  human 
interests.  It  may  be  objected  that  this  is  to  reduce  benevolence  to 
a  refined  form  of  selfishness.  But  to  recognize  the  educational  sig- 
nificance of  benevolence  is  neither  to  deny  it  an  ulterior  purpose 
nor  to  depreciate  the  value  of  the  same.  Along  with  its  objective 
aspects  benevolence  has  its  subjective  phases  and  it  certainly  seems 
like  a  self-evident  truth  that  the  benevolent  offerings  of  an  educa- 
tional institution  ought  to  carry  educational  values. 

It  is  a  matter  of  prime  importance  to  religious  education  to 
recognize  that  the  development  of  benevolence  is  fundamentally 
an  educational  problem.  This  may  sound  exceedingly  elementary, 
but  it  is  not  too  elementary  to  be  frequently  overlooked.  How 
often  are  the  ways  and  means  of  giving  determined  in  accordance 
with  well-established  principles  of  education  and  how  often  are 
they  nothing  more  than  mere  devices  ?  Even  the  best  devices  are 
but  poor  substitutes  for  more  effective  principles,  and  their  popu- 
larity and  frequent  use  are  convincing  proof  of  a  general  failure  to 
appreciate  the  educational  principles  which  underlie  the  culture  of 
a  generous  life.  All  education  must  be  conducted  in  accordance 
with  the  general  principles  of  education,  and  if  the  benevolence  of 
young  people  is  to  fulfil  its  educational  function  it  must  be  invested 
with  the  dignity  of  an  educational  problem. 

§  I.      EDUCATIONAL   PRINCIPLES   IN   BENEVOLENCE 

Education  in  benevolence  must  give  proper  recognition  to  the 
spontaneous  interests  of  childhood  and  youth.     "Interest,"  it  has 

105 


106  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

been  said,  "is  the  greatest  word  in  education."  Subjectively,  inter- 
est is  a  feeling  of  the  significance  which  an  object  has  for  the  indi- 
vidual concerned.  It  represents  the  worth  which  it  has  for  him. 
It  is  an  expression  of  values  and  indicates  the  point  of  entry  into 
his  Hfe.  When  education  aligns  itself  with  the  interests  of  child- 
hood and  youth  it  has  a  clear  path  of  approach,  it  can  appeal  to 
them  on  the  plane  of  experience,  and  it  is  dehvered  from  the  miser- 
able necessity  of  groping  in  the  dark  for  a  point  of  contact.  Their 
interests  reveal  their  point  of  contact,  and  when  we  discover  this 
we  know  where  to  begin,  whatever  our  specific  educational  problem 
may  be. 

In  applying  this  principle  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  us  to 
enumerate  all  the  interests  of  the  child.  It  will  be  sufl&cient  for  our 
purpose  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  they  gather  about  activities  and 
concrete  objects.  The  child  lives  in  the  world  of  realities  close  at 
hand  and  therein  finds  the  objects  of  worth  to  him.  And  this  is 
the  field  in  which  reUgious  education  must  work  in  its  effort  to 
deepen  and  enlarge  the  generous  impulses  of  the  child.  "Foreign 
missions,"  "the  salvation  of  the  lost,"  "the  evangehzation  of  the 
world,"  are  abstract  terms  which  carry  no  significance  for  childhood. 
But  every  child  is  interested  in  other  children,  their  plays,  their 
pets,  their  toys,  the  stories  their  mothers  tell  them,  their  food  and 
clothing,  the  hardships  they  have  to  endure,  the  festivals  and  hoU- 
days  which  they  enjoy,  their  life  at  home,  in  school,  at  work — all 
these  never  waver  in  their  attractive  power.  The  world  of  children 
is  the  children's  world  and  when  we  estabhsh  associations  here  we 
enlist  their  co-operation  and  their  native  interests  stimulate  and 
strengthen  the  appeal  to  their  social  and  sympathetic  instincts. 

Ideal  educational  material  for  developing  benevolence  in  cliil- 
dren  consists  of  all  material  which  deals  with  children  abroad  or 
amid  unfamiliar  social  conditions  at  home.  Childhood  speaks  with 
a  voice  which  childhood  understands  and  can  appreciate  and  there 
is  no  more  natural  or  more  effective  way  to  create  a  genuine  spirit 
of  benevolence  in  children  than  to  establish  them  in  sympathetic 
relations  with  other  children  whose  needs  are  obvious  and  within 
their  comprehension.  The  child's  plane  of  experience  is  in  the 
simple,  the  concrete,  the  immediate,  and  direct.     "Jesus,"  says 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  107 

Patterson  du  Bois,  "went  to  the  people  at  their  point  of  contact 
with  life,  and,  though  a  carpenter,  he  never  drew  a  figure  from  his 
own  calling,  but  from  theirs."'  In  developing  the  religious  im- 
pulses of  childhood  can  we  do  better  than  to  follow  the  example  of 
our  Master  ? 

With  the  passage  from  childhood  the  character  of  interest 
changes.  Life  comes  to  have  a  broader  outlook,  the  altruistic  spirit 
emerges  and  the  idealism  of  adolescence  asserts  itself.  Great  enter- 
prises, heroic  endeavors,  significant  movements,  these  captivate  the 
imagination  of  young  people,  and  it  is  through  these  that  the  benevo- 
lence of  youth  is  most  readily  reached  and  raised  to  worthy  expres- 
sion. The  commanding  attraction  which  social  service  offers 
adolescents  is  the  sense  which  it  gives  them  of  doing  something. 
Nothing  is  too  big,  too  daring,  too  idealistic  for  them  to  venture  on. 
The  call  of  the  heroic  is  an  appeal  that  stirs  their  hearts  with  irre- 
sistible force.  Youth  resents  the  suggestion  of  the  paltry  task  and 
scorns  to  respond  to  the  petty  appeal.  But  present  to  it  a  task  of 
heroic  proportions,  unfold  before  it  the  program  of  a  religion  which 
proposes  to  open  kindergartens  in  Japan,  schools  in  India,  hospitals 
in  China,  neighborhood  centers  along  the  bleak  coasts  of  Labrador, 
which  aims  to  establish  institutions  of  learning,  of  healing,  of  com- 
radeship and  hope  in  all  the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  and  yours 
will  never  be  a  forlorn  cause. 

No  doubt  there  are  prosaic  causes  which  need  help  and  humble 
movements  for  which  religious  education  should  develop  an  interest. 
But  we  must  start  with  youth  where  we  find  it  and  lead  it  out  as 
best  we  can,  and  finding  our  point  of  contact  in  its  idealism  and 
altruistic  spirit  seek  to  inspire  it  with  a  vision  of  the  magnificent 
movements  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which  will  kindle  its  imagina- 
tion and  set  it  on  fire  with  a  passion  for  great  service  and  significant 
giving. 

But  there  is  another  educational  principle  which  is  pertinent  to 
our  problem.  We  mean  the  principle  of  self-activity.  Education 
is  not  a  mere  assimilative  process.  It  is  far  more  an  expressive 
process,  in  which  the  child  discovers  and  expresses  himself.  The 
application  of  this  principle  is  obvious.     As  the  child  must  be  more 

'  Patterson  du  Bois,  The  Point  of  Contact,  p.  104. 


108  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

than  a  passive  recipient  of  instruction  if  he  is  to  enter  upon  the 
social  inheritance  of  the  race,  so  he  must  be  more  than  a  silent 
partner  in  generosity  if  he  is  to  become  a  generous  contributor  to 
its  future  progress. 

Education  in  benevolence  demands  a  real  participation  in  the 
full  ministry  of  giving,  and  the  full  ministry  of  giving  includes  the 
choice  of  an  object  as  well  as  the  bestowment  of  one's  money.  A 
Sunday  school  that  merely  collects  the  offerings  of  its  pupils  is  not 
educating  them  in  benevolence.  Benevolence  must  be  discriminat- 
ing as  well  as  la\dsh,  an  expression  of  the  judgment,  not  a  mere  out- 
burst of  impulse,  and  religious  education  must  make  provision  for 
the  cultivation  of  a  selective  discrimination  as  well  as  of  the  habit 
of  giving.  Efficiency  in  choosing  comes  through  practice  in  choos- 
ing, and  to  secure  such  practice  it  is  necessary  to  arrange  a  series  of 
concrete  situations  which  call  upon  the  children  to  decide  upon  the 
disposal  of  their  gifts. 

In  the  primary  department  this  may  be  accomplished  by  pro- 
viding three  or  four  differently  colored  boxes  into  which  the  chil- 
dren put  their  offerings  for  objects  designated  by  terms  within  the 
scope  of  their  experience  and  with  which  they  are  made  famiHar  by 
frequent  talks.  Above  the  primary  department  each  pupil  should 
have  his  own  envelope  and  each  class  its  own  treasurer.  Once  a 
month  or  at  some  other  stated  period  the  teacher  should  stimulate 
discussion  concerning  specific  objects  of  benevolence  and  so  guide 
the  class  in  the  disbursement  of  their  offerings.  As  the  pupils 
advance  in  maturity  more  and  more  freedom  should  be  granted, 
but  even  the  very  youngest  ought  to  be  protected  from  exploitation 
and  be  given  some  opportunity  for  self-expression  and  choice.  In 
the  field  of  benevolence  the  task  of  religious  education  is  to  develop 
a  generous  spirit  and  the  habit  of  selective  choice  in  connection  with 
a  wide  range  of  enriching  human  interests.  The  fundamental  con- 
dition to  the  fulfdment  of  this  function  is  the  practical  recognition 
of  the  two  educational  principles  of  self-activity  and  interest. 

§  2.   CURRENT  METHODS  OF  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  BENEVOLENCE 

A  practical  examination  of  the  actual  methods  in  use  by  Sunday 
schools  will  further  illustrate  these  principles.     The  writer  has  made 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  109 

a  canvass  of  seventy-five  pastors  or  Sunday-school  leaders  with  a 
view  to  securing  representative  testimony.  About  25  per  cent  of 
those  interviewed  stated  that  nothing  was  done  to  make  their 
benevolent  offerings  vital  and  significant.  Two  more  might  truth- 
fully have  said  the  same.  One  method  was  described  as  follows: 
"Missionary  offerings  are  taken  once  a  month.  An  address  is  sup- 
posed to  precede  the  offering  but  this  is  not  regularly  given.  The 
discipline  of  the  church  calls  for  the  distribution  of  literature  but 
this  requirement  is  not  observed."  Is  it  any  wonder  that  this 
pastor  pessimistically  observed  that  it  was  impossible  to  approach 
men  on  the  missionary  question  ?  And  what  provision  is  he  making 
for  the  dawning  of  a  better  day  ? 

Another  method  was  stated  thus:  "Ten  per  cent  is  given  to 
benevolence  from  the  offerings  of  the  Sunday  school.  No  regular 
instruction  is  given,  but  the  school  is  always  open  to  appeals.  We 
wait  the  action  of  the  boards."  It  is  probably  true,  as  was  said, 
"our  benevolence  is  not  reduced  to  the  level  of  a  ritual  or  the 
mechanics  of  a  program,"  but  is  it  worth  while  to  pay  for  such 
freedom  the  heavy  price  of  dependence  upon  unregulated  impulse  ? 

Others  gave  the  following  accounts  of  their  methods: 

"Representatives  address  the  school  on  behalf  of  specific  objects." 

"Speakers  from  various  organizations;  visits  by  older  classes;  letters  of 
appreciation  read." 

"Weekly  talks  are  given  on  missionary  subjects." 

"Instruction  is  given  concerning  the  objects  for  which  the  offering  is 
made." 

"Children  are  told  of  the  projects  to  aid  which  their  offerings  go." 

"Letters  from  the  field  help." 

"We  give  information  about  the  cause  to  which  they  are  giving." 

"Keeping  before  the  pupils  the  objects." 

"We  get  reports,  pictures,  letters,  addresses,  dramatic  presentations  of  the 
work  in  which  we  are  interested." 

"We  keep  in  touch  with  objects  and  people  helped." 

"Imparting  of  missionary  intelligence." 

"The  children  are  asked  to  give  to  concrete  objects  and  these  are  intelli- 
gently set  before  them." 

"Special,  specific,  definite  instruction  is  given  in  all  departments  (except 
beginners)  before  offering  is  taken." 

"They  are  made  for  specific  objects  each  month  and  reports  are  made." 

"The  grades  give  to  special  concrete  objects  in  which  an  interest  is  created." 


110  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

"All  offerings  go  to  the  support  of  our  own  Sunday-school  missionary  in 
Wisconsin." 

"We  give  to  concrete  objects." 

"By  making  the  contact  between  the  giver  and  the  one  in  need  as  close 
and  vital  as  possible." 

"Twenty -five  dollars  is  contributed  monthly  to  specific  causes  and  for  that 
month  that  cause  is  made  prominent." 

"Once  a  month  the  entire  offering  goes  to  missionary  work.  There  is  a 
Sunday-school  missionary  society  and  the  president  arranges  for  giving  mis- 
sionary instruction  on  that  day." 

"Twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  offerings  go  to  mission  work.  Very  frequent 
ten-minute  talks  are  given  by  competent  people.  The  kindergarten  of  the 
school  uses  four  boxes  of  different  colors,  each  of  which  is  set  apart  for  a  spe- 
cific object.    The  little  folks  drop  their  money  in  these  boxes." 

"Pledge  envelopes  for  offerings  are  supplied  to  the  children  and  the  total 
Sunday-school  offering  for  the  second  Sunday  of  each  month  is  given  to  some 
missionary  or  benevolent  object." 

"We  take  up  missionary  offerings  and  have  someone  talk  to  the  children 
so  that  they  will  give  with  more  interest  and  intelligence." 

"Courses  in  senior  classes;   attractive  general  program;   literature." 

"We  seek  to  relate  them  to  Christ  and  his  religion  in  the  individual  life." 

"Our  adult  Bible  classes  have  each  a  missionary  committee  which  takes 
care  of  the  benevolence  work  of  the  class." 

"All  of  the  offerings  raised  by  the  school  are  used  for  benevolent  purposes. 
The  executive  committee  of  the  Sunday  school  decides  upon  their  disposal. 
Freedom  is  allowed  with  regard  to  special  gifts  for  philanthropic  purposes. 
Speakers  occasionally  address  the  school.  The  birthday  offerings  always  go 
to  Jackson  Park  Sanitarium  for  Children." 

"The  boys  and  girls  do  the  work  themselves  under  guidance,  earn  their 
own  money,  and  deliver  their  gift  in  person  if  that  is  wise." 

"We  have  a  philanthropic  committee  that  seeks  to  direct  every  class  in 
the  choice  of  some  benevolence,  local  or  more  remote.  The  class  is  directed 
to  secure  money  for  the  help  of  the  object  or  cause  chosen,  and  is  encouraged 
to  study  the  character,  work,  and  needs  of  the  institution  concerned." 

"Every  child  is  given  a  package  of  fifty-two  dated  and  numbered  envelopes. 
A  record  is  kept  of  each  child's  offering  and  a  regular  report  is  made  to  him. 
The  beginners  have  a  missionary  society  called  the  Busy  Bees  which  meets  two 
or  three  times  a  year.  At  these  meetings  the  missionary  pigs  are  broken  and 
appropriate  stories  are  told.  A  similar  method  is  followed  in  the  primary 
department.  The  entire  offering  of  the  Sunday  school  is  given  to  missionary 
work,  its  distribution  being  decided  by  the  Sunday-school  management.  The 
Sunday  school  has  its  own  mission  in  Lahore.  Incidental  missionary  instruc- 
tion is  given  every  Sunday." 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  111 

"The  denominational  offering  for  foreign  missions  is  taken  at  Easter. 
Beginning  about  Christmas  time,  a  five-minute  talk,  accompanied  by  illustra- 
tions and  curios,  is  given  every  Sunday.  The  chairman  of  the  missionary 
committee  is  responsible  for  these  talks  and  goes  to  each  department.  Mis- 
sionary leaflets  are  also  distributed  every  week  and  envelopes  are  given  to  the 
children  some  time  before  their  offering  is  to  be  made.  The  offering  at  Thanks- 
giving for  home  missions  is  preceded  by  the  same  systematic  effort  to  awaken 
intelHgent  interest.  As  a  result  of  these  efforts  a  large  number  in  the  school 
have  given  evidence  of  really  getting  to  have  a  sympathetic  interest  in  home 
and  foreign  missions." 

"Last  summer  the  summer  school  had  a  special  study — a  tour  around  the 
world  with  the  stereopticon.  Two  lectures  were  given  on  each  country.  The 
teachers  were  given  the  lectures  several  months  before  so  that  they  could  make 
themselves  thoroughly  familiar  with  them.  The  slides  were  put  into  their 
hands  two  or  three  weeks  before  they  were  needed.  The  immediate  result  of 
this  venture  was  a  better  attendance  at  the  Sunday  school  than  ever  before." 

"Each  class  from  the  primary  up  has  its  own  envelopes  for  the  individual 
members,  elects  its  own  treasurer,  and  disburses  its  own  money.  All  funds  are 
handed  over  to  the  general  treasurer  of  the  school  and  he  in  turn  honors  the 
checks  of  the  class  treasurers.  The  aim  is  to  engender  discussion  under  the 
guidance  of  the  teacher  with  a  view  to  securing  the  educational  reaction.  Once 
a  month  objects  of  benevolence  are  discussed,  but  the  class  is  not  restricted  to 
any  selected  list.  One  Sunday  the  pastor  happened  to  mention  that  the  church 
had  recently  paid  out  an  unusually  large  amount  for  postage.  That  day  one 
class  made  an  appropriation  for  church  postage.  A  feature  of  the  system  is 
the  addresses  of  representatives  of  institutions  and  boards  who  frequently  visit 
the  school." 

The  infant  class  of  one  school  with  an  average  attendance  of  sixty  has 
had  a  remarkable  record  in  benevolence.  For  the  last  year  its  receipts  were 
$2,440.  II.  The  only  explanation  of  this  achievement  which  we  could  obtain, 
aside  from  the  personality  of  the  teacher,  who  has  been  at  the  head  of  the  class 
for  twenty-five  years,  is  afforded  by  the  treasurer's  report,  and  we  give  it  in 
full  with  respect  to  the  receipts: 

Treasurer's  Report 

MAY  I,  1911,  to  APRIL  30,  1912 

Amount  on  hand  May  i,  1911 $    63.94 

Pa3Tnents  on  loans 900 .  00 

From  three  friends 25  .  00 

Sunday  offerings  through  the  year 205 . 1 8 

Offerings  in  Christmas  barrels 54  •  20 

By  interest  on  farm  mortgages 487  .  61 

From  proceeds  of  Harvest  Home  play,  Noah's  Flood 253 .  54 

Proceeds  of  Easter  eggs  and  play,  David  and  Goliath 450.64 

Total  receipts $2,440.11 


112  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

This  class  owns  securities  valued  at  $7,472.00,  the  result  of  the  accumu- 
lated balances  of  a  number  of  years.  These  securities  are  yielding  the  class 
good  returns,  but  it  is  open  to  serious  question  whether  a  Sunday-school  class 
should  have  large  annual  balances. 

"We  are  just  adopting  the  system  of  having  the  classes  keep  their  collec- 
tions in  a  class  treasury;  once  a  month  or  thereabout  a  cause  is  presented  to 
them  from  the  platform,  that  of  a  missionary  or  other  benevolence,  such  as  a 
New  York  settlement;  they  are  told  how  much  the  apportionment  of  the 
school  would  be  for  that  cause,  on  a  basis  arranged  by  the  financial  committee, 
and  the  classes  are  asked  to  vote  from  their  treasuries  such  sums  as  they  think 
their  share  of  that  apportionment  demands." 

"First  let  me  say  that  we  talk  far  less  about  money  than  about  the  right 
attitude  of  the  heart.  We  seek  also  to  educate  in  every  way  that  all  action 
shall  be  intelligent.  There  are  in  the  west  end  of  the  city  nine  schools,  all  of 
them  being  the  output  of  our  church.  We  are  planning  to  start  another. 
These  schools  are  banded  together  for  some  definite  work  each  year.  This 
year  it  is  to  put  up  some  buildings  in  India.  Each  class  in  our  own  school 
takes  a  collection  for  this  every  Sunday  and  this  is  placed  in  a  separate  bag  or 
box  where  it  remains  until  the  end  of  the  year,  when  the  amount  is  counted  and 
brought  to  the  platform  at  the  annual  festival  of  that  part  of  the  school  and 
the  sum  reported.  The  interest  then  is  intense.  Last  year  the  children  alone 
gave  about  $900  in  our  school.  As  to  keeping  up  the  interest  and  educating 
the  children,  we  have  three  sets  of  lantern  slides  and  two  of  our  men  are  out 
every  Sunday  with  lanterns  giving  addresses.  We  try  to  have  at  least  one 
address  a  month  at  each  Sunday  school.  We  try  to  get  as  many  schools  as 
we  can  to  take  up  the  work  themselves  and  we  provide  them  with  the  slides 
if  they  have  a  machine,  and  if  not,  we  have  a  lantern  that  we  lend  them  as 
far  as  it  will  go.  We  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  schools  to  join  us.  The 
superintendent  of  our  school  doubles  whatever  amount  is  raised.  However,  as 
I  said,  our  children  alone  gave  nearly  a  thousand  dollars  last  year.  We  give 
our  offerings  to  a  different  mission  each  year." 

What,  then,  are  the  findings  of  our  study  ?  We  shall  summarize 
them  under  four  heads: 

1 .  In  about  25  per  cent  of  these  schools  no  effort  is  made  to  make 
the  offerings  vital  and  significant. 

2.  In  most  schools  a  more  or  less  systematic  effort  is  made  to 
inform  the  children  concerning  the  objects  to  which  their  offerings 
go.  In  some  schools  this  instruction  is  extensive  in  scope  and  sys- 
tematic in  character,  but  in  too  many  it  is  scanty  in  its  range  and 
occasional  in  its  impartation. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  113 

3.  A  fair  proportion  of  the  schools  give  definite  recognition  to 
the  value  of  concrete  objects  in  stimulating  benevolence,  and  some 
discriminating  care  is  given  to  their  selection. 

4.  Only  three,  possibly  four,  schools  give  the  pupils  any  respon- 
sibility in  the  disbursement  of  their  gifts  that  calls  for  selective 
judgment. 

This  analysis  suggests  the  probable  direction  of  advance  and  the 
ideals  for  which  we  ought  immediately  to  work.  It  is  not  at  all 
likely  that  any  large  number  of  schools  will  recognize,  in  the  near 
future,  their  responsibility  for  training  their  young  people  in  wise 
habits  of  choice  and  allow  them  to  select  the  objects  to  which  they 
will  devote  their  offerings.  But  already  many  schools  are  giving 
systematic  instruction  in  order  to  make  their  pupils  intelligent 
givers  and  almost  as  many  are  recognizing  the  necessity  of  appeal- 
ing to  the  prime  interest  of  children  by  giving  them  concrete  objects 
of  benevolence.  Emphasizing  these  two  elements,  however,  will 
almost  inevitably  result  in  a  realization  of  the  need  of  making  the 
benevolence  of  young  people  still  more  vital  by  giving  it  the  stand- 
ing and  insuring  for  it  the  essential  characteristics  of  an  expressive 
activity. 

§  3.      MISSIONARY   LEAFLETS 

The  canvass  of  the  methods  of  Sunday-school  benevolence  was 
supplemented  by  an  examination  of  missionary  leaflets.  Leaflets 
were  chosen  because  the  specific  function  for  which  they  are 
designed  and  the  prevailing  use  to  which  they  are  put  is  to  stimulate 
benevolence. 

One  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  these  leaflets  were  examined, 
obtained  from  five  denominations  and  issued  by  eight  boards.  It 
was  encouraging  to  find  that  just  about  one  hundred  of  these  were 
admirably  suited  to  their  purpose  and  possessed  real  educative 
qualities.  Most  of  them  are  graphic  stories  of  child  life,  a  few  of 
them  sound  the  heroic  note,  while  a  large  number,  especially  the 
leaflets  of  the  home-mission  boards,  contain  picturesque  descriptions 
of  events  and  movements  which  arouse  enthusiasm  and  enlist  co- 
operation. 


114  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

As  many  of  them  suggest  their  content  by  their  title  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  give  the  names  of  a  few:  When  Father  Is  a  Missionary, 
reproduced  in  the  handwriting  of  a  Httle  nine-year-old  girl  and  full 
of  human  interest  for  children;  Homes  of  the  Mountain  Children; 
Children  of  the  Hoga?t;  Snow  Children;  Cuban  Village  Children; 
One  Little  Injun;  America's  Welcome;  In  Chicago^ s  Ghetto;  A  Day 
with  a  Missionary  Doctor;  0  Kei  San,  the  Child  with  No  Hands; 
Igorrote  Boys  in  the  Philippines;  The  Children  of  Turkey;  A  Tokio 
Lily;  Pak-Si-Mi-Do,  or  From  Shadow  to  Sunshine;  Ten  Chinese 
Robbers.  These  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  persons  for  whom  they 
are  intended.  Livingstone  Hero  Stories;  Our  Call  from  Liberia; 
Heroes  of  the  Island  World,  belong  to  the  heroic  type.  The  Outposts 
of  the  People;  Creating  a  Frontier;  The  Puzzled  Ranchfnan;  Foreign 
Missions  at  Home;  Foreign  Missions  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes; 
In  the  Land  of  Adobe;  The  Story  of  Pah-Ah-Wat;  In  the  Detention 
Room;  Is  Alaska  Part  of  Us  ?  The  Empire  of  the  East;  and  The 
Empire  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,  are  vivid  stories  of  national  prob- 
lems, events,  and  movements  which  easily  capture  the  imagination 
and  the  interest. 

More  stories  of  boy  life,  more  leaflets  which  strike  the  heroic 
note,  and  more  of  the  picturesque  material  which  sets  forth  in  a 
vivid  and  striking  way  the  bigness  of  the  foreign-missionar}^  enter- 
prise ought  to  be  added  to  this  leaflet  literature,  and  instead  of 
being  sold  the  leaflets  ought  to  be  distributed  without  cost,  so  that 
every  Sunday  school  could  use  them  freely  for  their  educational 
effects.  Pictures,  postal  cards,  posters,  and  curios  are  also  supplied 
by  the  missionary  boards  and  some  societies  indicate  in  their  cata- 
logue the  grade  for  which  their  material  is  suitable. 

Of  the  other  twenty-five  leaflets  we  cannot  speak  so  favorably. 
Three  mistakes  are  committed  by  their  writers.  The  first  mistake 
consists  in  making  the  needs  of  the  society  central  instead  of  the 
needs  of  the  children.  In  these  leaflets  procuring  the  children's 
money  is  the  primary,  and  promoting  the  moral  education  of  the 
children  the  subordinate,  end.  Invidious  comparisons  are  made 
between  what  the  children  spend  on  themselves  and  what  they 
give  to  missions.  A  boy,  for  instance,  is  told  by  his  uncle:  "Now, 
my  young  man,  you  know  very  well  that  a  quarter  for  peanuts 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  115 

doesn't  look  any  larger  to  you  than  a  pin's  head,  and  that  a  quarter 
for  giving  looks  as  big  as  a  cart  wheel — but  that's  got  to  stop." 

Instead  of  being  given  educative,  constructive,  and  interesting 
stories  the  children  are  given  a  scolding.  Instead  of  being  inspired 
with  a  sense  of  the  privilege  of  participating  in  a  great  human 
movement  they  are  coaxed  or  cajoled  or  shamed  into  giving.  Sup- 
plying neither  information  nor  inspiration,  these  leaflets  are  an 
attempt  to  get  something  for  nothing,  and  the  children  whom  they 
dupe  yield  up  their  pennies  and  receive  no  enrichment  of  life  in 
return.  Of  course  there  is  bound  to  be  a  reaction,  and  the  last  state 
of  these  children  is  worse  than  the  first. 

A  second  mistake  consists  in  making  too  heavy  demands  on  the 
social  sympathy  an'd  unselfishness  of  children.  The  material  pos- 
sessions of  children  are  necessarily  limited  and  they  are  not  easily 
increased  or  replenished.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  the  adult  to 
realize  how  dearly  the  toys  and  keepsakes  of  a  child  are  treasured. 
To  stimulate  the  sacrifice  of  these  is  to  assume  a  grave  responsibility, 
and  any  impoverishment  of  the  child  is  certainly  immoral  and  the 
ultimate  effects  are  sure  to  be  unfortunate.  It  must  further  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  social  experience  of  the  child  is  naturally 
confined  to  a  relatively  small  compass.  Outside  of  its  own  encirc- 
ling group  it  has  little  knowledge  and  consequently  small  interest. 
Parents  and  teachers  are  often  tempted  to  enlarge  this  circle  by 
force,  but  the  precocious  development  of  any  natural  capacity  or 
faculty  is  always  unwise  and  hazardous,  and  in  the  end  the  best 
results  are  attained  by  assisting  and  directing,  not  by  hastening,  the 
natural  processes  of  the  developing  organism.  With  the  ripening 
of  the  sex  impulse  the  social  nature  blossoms  into  fuller  beauty  and 
one  may  ask  and  expect  an  increasing  recognition  of  social  obhga- 
tions,  but  the  social  impulses  of  childhood  lack  both  intensity  and 
range  and  any  strong  and  stirring  call  to  sacrifice  does  violence  to 
its  undeveloped  social  nature. 

But  the  meagerness  of  the  child's  possessions  and  the  narrowness 
of  its  social  interests  are  frequently  forgotten  by  the  writers  of  mis- 
sionary leaflets  and  every  effort  is  made  to  stimulate  sacrifice  which 
would  be  heroic  enough  in  their  fathers  and  mothers.  Stories  are 
told  of  little  children  set  forth  as  ideals,  who,  after  great  struggle 


116  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

and  triumphant  effort,  take  their  best-prized  treasures  and  heroic- 
ally give  them  for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen.  •  One  little  girl  gives 
her  cherished  silk  mitts,  which  her  father  was  too  poor  to  buy,  but 
which  her  aunt  had  given  her  at  Christmas;  another  gives  her 
"darling  dollie,"  "dearest  one  I  ever  loved";  while  yet  another,  to 
obtain  money  for  the  missionary  offering,  sells  her  great  shaggy 
Newfoundland  dog,  the  pet  of  her  life,  who  saved  her  from  drown- 
ing when  she  was  only  three  years  old. 

Such  productions  are  nothing  short  of  a  deliberate  attempt  at 
the  exploitation  of  unprotected  childhood.  Deep  and  urgent  social 
feeling  issuing  in  costly  sacrifice  is  not  natural  in  a  child,  and  the 
more  one  considers  the  child's  highest  welfare  and  greatest  useful- 
ness the  more  one  deprecates  its  premature  development.  Benevo- 
lence of  a  fine  type  and  enduring  character  is  a  result  of  careful 
nurture  and  cannot  be  promoted  by  impoverishing  the  child  or  by 
violating  the  laws  of  his  unfolding  personality. 

A  third  mistake  consists  in  the  creation  of  little  "improbables," 
whose  amazing  missionary  zeal  is  expected  to  provoke  a  similar 
interest  in  others.  The  psychological  blunder  of  this  method  of 
appeal  is  obvious.  As  is  the  case  with  all  devices,  these  idealized 
children  concentrate  the  attention  upon  themselves  and  absorb  the 
interest  while  the  real  object  of  importance  is  forgotten.  The 
more  impressive  these  stories  are  the  more  deplorable  is  their  eft'ect, 
for  their  very  success  signifies  that  these  pious  improbables  have 
become  focal,  while  the  children  abroad  or  in  other  social  conditions, 
for  whom  an  interest  should  have  been  aroused,  have  become 
merely  marginal  in  consciousness.  If  these  stories  have  any  pur- 
pose it  is  to  create  a  worthy  interest  in  the  missionary'  enterprise; 
but  instead  of  doing  that  they  create  an  interest  of  no  real  worth 
in  fictitious  children  and  the  missionary  enterprise  is  side-tracked 
and  forgotten. 

The  moral  blunder  is  also  obvious.  Sooner  or  later  young 
people  discover  that  they  do  not  meet  such  children  among  their 
playmates,  on  the  street,  or  in  the  schoolyard.  The  fiction  is  too 
palpable  to  deceive  them  long  and  the  discovery  of  the  deception  is 
sure  to  react  upon  the  missionary  enterprise.  Instead  of  looming  up 
as  a  great  human  interest  it  becomes  associated  in  Ihcir  minds  with 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  117 

pious  fictions  and  sentimental  unrealities,  and  a  bias  is  created 
which  in  later  life  it  is  difficult  to  overcome.  Fiction,  when  true 
to  life,  is  almost  invaluable  and  has  proved  its  worth  in  more  than 
one  humanitarian  cause,  but  when  it  descends  to  the  grotesque  and 
disregards  the  universal  laws  of  human  nature  its  effect  is  pernicious 
and  the  most  worthy  cause  will  suffer  through  its  use. 

The  missionary  societies  should  eliminate  these  three  t}^es  of 
leaflets.  They  carry  no  educational  values  and  it  is  only  through 
education  that  any  permanent  and  vital  interest  in  missionary 
effort  will  be  aroused.  Concrete  presentations  of  child  life,  stories 
of  heroic  endeavor,  picturesque  descriptions  of  vital  and  significant 
movements,  these  are  rich  material  for  the  religious  education  of 
childhood  and  adolescence  and  the  missionary  enterprise  has  this 
material  in  abundance. 


CHAPTER  VI 
VALUES  IN  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

The  pragmatic  spirit  of  our  age  is  indisputable.  The  only 
standard  it  knows  for  estimating  any  institution  or  movement  is 
its  contribution  to  the  common  good.  What  credentials,  then, 
can  social  service  present  ?  What  are  its  values  ?  In  seeking  an 
answer  to  that  question  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  social 
service  in  the  Sunday  school  is  only  in  its  infancy  and  most  of  the 
graded  programs  in  use  have  been  developed  only  within  recent 
months.  So  far  social  service  by  young  people  is  in  its  purely 
experimental  stage,  and,  while  good  results  have  been  obtained,  a 
much  more  substantial  body  of  objective,  concrete  evidence  is 
needed  before  it  can  be  claimed  that  social  service  has  demon- 
strated its  value  in  religious  education. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  present  a  theoretical  dis- 
cussion of  the  value  of  social  service  for  religious  education.  The 
pedagogical,  psychological,  and  religious  arguments  are  more  or 
less  familiar  and  need  not  be  repeated.  If  we  "learn  by  doing" 
and  self-activity  is  essential  to  education,  if  conduct  engenders 
emotion  and  emotion  follows  in  the  line  of  conduct,  if  religion  is  an 
affair  of  life  and  expresses  itself  in  concrete  forms  of  social 
experience,  the  significance  of  social  service  for  religious  education  is 
beyond  dispute.  There  are  two  sources,  however,  from  which  we 
may  obtain  definite,  concrete  evidence  of  the  value  of  social  service 
— the  leaders  who  direct  its  activities  and  the  young  people  who  are 
engaged  in  its  tasks.  It  is  to  these  sources  we  shall  look  for  the 
contents  of  this  chapter. 

§  I.      TESTIMONY   OF   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORKERS 

In  seeking  information  from  Sunday-school  workers  we  are 
confronted  by  two  difficulties.  In  the  first  place,  with  too  many, 
personal  opinion  clothed  in  pedagogical  phraseology  or  expressed  in 
sociological  terms  is  made  to  do  duty  for  concrete  facts.  Familiar 
with  the  educational  basis  on  which  social  service  is  admitted, 

n8 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  119 

these  people  take  it  for  granted  that  the  educational  values  will 
realize  themselves. 

The  second  and  more  fundamental  difl&culty  grows  out  of  the 
impossibility  of  tabulating  spiritual  results  or  showing  moral 
growth  by  a  schedule.  Character  is  a  product  of  slow  develop- 
ment and  it  is  not, easy  to  measure  its  progress  or  to  indicate  it  in 
diagrammatic  form. 

Yet  notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  and  they  are  accentuated 
by  the  brief  history  which  social  service  has  behind  it,  a  body  of 
data  has  been  accumulating.  Sunday-school  workers  refer  to  such 
objective,  concrete  values  as  increased  offerings,  enlarged  attend- 
ance, gratified  parents,  interested  pupils,  improved  church  workers, 
greater  democracy  of  spirit,  a  more  social  attitude,  and  better  knowl- 
edge of  social  conditions.  From  a  large  number  of  testimonies 
which  have  been  secured  it  might  be  well  to  present  those  of  half  a 
dozen  workers  whose  experience  in  social  service  makes  their 
evidence  significant. 

1.  a)  "It  assists  young  people  to  apply  the  religious  impulse  to  the  prob- 
lems of  their  own  life  and  to  those  of  the  community. 

b)  "It  promotes  their  recognition  of  the  fact  that  each  individual  is  per- 
sonally responsible  for  the  social  welfare  of  the  community.  The  importance 
of  this  emerges  when  we  realize  that  the  individual  conscience  is  the  field  of 
social  control. 

c)  "It  improves  the  whole  situation  of  the  school.  It  increases  the 
attendance,  improves  the  quality  of  the  work,  and  strengthens  the  hold  of  the 
school  upon  the  pupils." 

2.  a)  "It  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  correct  interpretation  of  the  Chris- 
tian life. 

b)  "It  teaches  the  pupils  to  expect  that  impulse  should  bear  fruit  in 
action. 

c)  "It  trains  the  children  in  the  habit  of  looking  to  religion  as  the  source 
of  motive  for  living. 

d)  "It  gives  an  immediate  test  of  the  reality  and  worth  of  religious  expe- 
rience. 

e)  "It  gives  the  sound  ethical  habit  of  putting  all  our  love  and  testing 
all  our  impulse  in  the  furnace  of  actual  human  conditions." 

3.  "It  provides  definite,  concrete,  human  ways  of  expressing  the  religious 
impulses.  When  free  from  the  patronizing,  Lady  Bountiful  spirit  it  generates 
the  Christian  spirit  and  carries  its  own  inherent  stimulus  and  motive.  It 
often  enables  Sunday-school  scholars  to  realize  what  religion  is  all  about  and 


120  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

to  transfer  it  from  the  mysterious,  sad-faced  unreality  in  which  it  often  lan- 
guishes to  the  living  world  of  actual  human  relations." 

4.  "I  beUeve  this  work  to  be  of  the  greatest  value  in  teaching  people  to 
live  happily  and  usefully  together.  It  is  an  excellent  cure  for  snobbishness, 
and  for  the  teaching  of  some  of  the  most  valuable  lessons  of  life  it  is  unequaled." 
5.  "The  two  most  notable  results  of  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school,  so 
far  as  I  have  seen  it,  have  been  the  eager  interest  of  the  children  and  the  pro- 
found gratitude  of  parents.  Children  bring  to  this  a  concentration  of  attention, 
an  intensity  of  anticipation,  a  joy  of  sacrifice,  and  a  persistence  of  human 
purpose  that  I  have  seen  nowhere  else  in  their  life.  If  one  may  interpret  the 
evident  satisfaction  that  follows,  from  one's  own  experience,  one  would  say  that 
they  have  really  learned  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

"The  thankfulness  with  which  parents,  in  church  relations  and  outside  of 
church  relations,  see  their  children  really  interested  in  something  that  seems  to 
them  vital  and  at  the  same  time  connected  with  the  church,  and  the  interest 
which  the  parents  themselves  acquire  or  renew  in  these  same  things,  is  most 
significant." 

6.  "I  was  much  pleased  with  one  young  girl's  behavior  last  summer. 
For  several  weeks  previous  to  the  time  when  our  Sunday-school  closes  for  the 
summer  I  emphasized  to  the  whole  school  the  idea  of  doing  for  others  while 
they  were  enjoying  their  seashore  and  mountain  vacations.  I  learned  at  the 
end  of  the  summer  that  a  fifteen-year-old  girl  who  had  never  known  a  hardship 
or  deprivation  herself  nor,  at  that  time,  scarcely  ever  a  disappointment  or 
sorrow,  chose  as  her  regular  deed  of  kindness  to  go  every  evening  to  see  an  old 
lady,  tiresome  and  complaining,  and  listen  to  all  her  complainings  and  talk  in  a 
cheerful  way  to  her." 

The  testimonies  of  these  workers  are  worthy  of  consideration. 
They  indicate  results  which  have  already  appeared  and  they  sug- 
gest the  direction  from  which  others  may  be  expected.  Undoubt- 
edly some  are  getting  more  values  out  of  social  service  than  others, 
but  then  some  are  putting  higher  values  into  it.  As  in  all  education , 
so  in  social  service  used  as  material  for  religious  education,  the 
personaUty  of  the  teacher  is  of  supreme  importance.  A  leader 
who  does  not  distinguish  between  social  service  and  charity  work, 
who  is  indifferent  to  the  necessity  of  establishing  his  young  people 
in  reciprocal  relations  with  other  persons,  and  who  takes  it  for 
granted  that  the  educational  values  of  social  service  will  realize 
themselves,  has  failed  at  the  very  outset.  The  letter  killeth,  the 
spirit  maketh  aHve,  and  for  the  attainment  of  the  high  values  that 
belong  to  social  service  it  is  essential  for  the  leader  to  be  thoroughly 
possessed  by  the  social  spirit. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  121 

§  2.   A  STUDY  OF  PERSONAL  REACTIONS 

An  intensive  study  was  made  by  the  writer  in  order  to  obtain  the 
reactions  of  young  people  who  were  participating  in  some  form  of 
social  endeavor.  Twenty-two  young  people  contributed  to  the 
study,  their  ages  ranging  from  six  and  a  half  years  to  twenty-one, 
with  the  number  of  males  and  females  equal.  The  nature  of  the 
social  service  in  which  they  participated  varied  somewhat,  though 
most  of  them  were  interested  in  needy  famiHes  and  nearly  all  were 
continuously  engaged  in  activities  for  others.  Except  in  one  or  two 
instances,  where  two  pupils  together  described  the  work  of  the 
class,  each  pupil  was  seen  alone,  and  as  there  was  no  opportunity  for 
conference  any  similarity  or  agreement  of  expression  cannot  be 
ascribed  to  imitation  or  suggestion,  but  must  be  found  in  more 
fundamental  causes. 

Every  precaution  was  taken  to  guard  the  results  from  unreality. 
Embarrassment  and  awkwardness  were  carefully  avoided.  Definite 
information  was  sought  in  accordance  with  a  formulated  technique, 
but  this  technique  was  never  exposed  to  the  subject  and  he  was 
never  made  to  feel  that  he  was  being  studied.  The  approach  was 
always  objective  and  attention  was  centered  upon  the  concrete. 

The  pupil  was  asked  and  encouraged  to  describe  the  social 
work  the  class  was  doing.  Now  and  then,  at  opportune  moments, 
questions  were  injected  into  the  narrative,  but  these  interrogations 
never  induced  self-consciousness  and  were  never  prolonged.  Ques- 
tions introduced  in  this  casual  way  brought  unstudied  answers  and 
at  the  same  time  stimulated  the  interest  of  the  subjects  in  the 
description  and  enabled  them  to  continue  their  story. 

The  objective  approach  had  yet  another  value.  For  this  de- 
scriptive method  not  only  kept  the  pupils  in  close  contact  with 
the  concrete,  furnishing  facts  and  preventing  self -consciousness, 
but  the  rehearsal  of  their  class  activities  in  a  measure  repro- 
duced and  disclosed  their  own  emotional  attitude  to  the  work  they 
were  describing.  The  personal  element  could  not  be  eliminated. 
The  activities  of  the  class  were  a  part  of  themselves  and  the  sig- 
nificance which  they  had  for  them  was  spontaneously  revealed. 
What  is  set  down  in  this  study  is  based,  therefore,  not  only  on  the 
direct  response  to  questions,  but  also  upon  the  emotional  attitude 
which  came  out  in  the  rehearsal  of  their  activities. 


122  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

§3.      THE   POPULARITY   OF   SOCIAL   SERVICE 

The  popularity  of  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  cannot  be 
questioned.  Without  exception  all  the  pupils,  from  the  youngest 
to  the  oldest,  talked  of  the  work  of  their  class  with  unconcealed 
delight.  It  lit  up  their  faces,  colored  the  tone  of  their  voices,  and 
gave  vivacity  and  freedom  to  their  manner.  It  was  not  necessary 
to  ask  the  question,  "Is  social  service  popular  in  the  class?"  For 
the  sake  of  making  the  evidence  as  clear  and  convincing  as  possible, 
however,  the  question  was  asked,  and  in  every  instance  an  affirma- 
tive answer  was  given  with  unhesitating  decision. 

A  little  girl  six  and  a  half  years  old  not  only  showed  intense 
delight  in  filling  a  stocking  for  a  kindergarten  Christmas  tree,  but 
on  her  own  initiative  and  entirely  without  suggestion  she  took 
money  out  of  her  own  purse  to  pay  for  a  present  on  another  kinder- 
garten tree.  The  act  was  the  more  significant  with  her  as  she  is  not 
in  the  habit  of  using  her  own  money  except  by  the  suggestion  and 
under  the  direction  of  her  parents.  Some  weeks  later  when  a  little 
friend  became  ill  and  was  quarantined  she  took  great  pleasure  in 
cutting  out  scrap  pictures  for  him  and  in  sending  him  picture  post- 
cards and  Sunday-school  papers  which  she  had  saved. 

A  boy  (age  of  class  eleven  to  thirteen)  said  of  his  class,  "We 
would  rather  do  it  than  not."  A  girl  (age  of  class  eleven  to  thir- 
teen) remarked,  "It  makes  the  class  more  interesting."  A  girl 
(age  of  class  thirteen  to  fifteen)  expressed  her  feeling  somewhat 
decisively  when  she  said,  "We  would  not  like  to  have  it  cut  out." 
Another  girl  in  the  same  class  said,  "Everybody  responds  to  it." 
A  boy  (age  of  class  fourteen  to  sixteen)  put  it  this  way:  "It  takes 
fine  with  the  boys."  A  second  boy  of  the  same  class  said,  "The 
boys  are  much  interested  in  their  work.  Every  Sunday  school 
should  do  something  of  this  kind.  It  is  only  right  that  they 
should."  A  third  boy  remarked,  "Social  work  is  very  popular 
with  the  boys,"  and  the  tone  was  more  significant  than  the  words. 
He  also  added,  "Every  Sunday  school  should  do  it."  A  fourth  boy 
of  the  same  age  declared,  "  The  boys  like  to  do  social  work.  Every 
Sunday-school  class  should  do  more  of  it  than  they  do."  A  young 
man  (age  of  class  seventeen  to  twenty)  said  with  much  spirit, 
"All  the  boys  enjoy  it  and  they  are  hustling.  We  feel  like  doing 
more  of  it." 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  123 

In  the  case  of  two  young  women,  the  members  of  a  popular  class, 
the  enthusiasm  for  social  service  was  especially  suggestive.  This 
class  was  taught  by  a  teacher  of  good  ability,  unusual  training,  and 
ripe  experience.  Her  methods  were  the  best  and  the  materials  of 
her  course  had  large  values  for  the  class.  Yet  when  these  two 
young  women  were  asked  if  the  class  would  not  have  been  equally 
as  popular  without  its  social  activities  they  immediately  repHed, 
"It  was  the  social  service  more  than  the  lessons  which  made  the 
class  popular."  The  meaning  of  this  for  religious  pedagogy  Hes 
upon  the  surface. 

In  social  service  we  have  discovered  a  real  interest  of  youth  and 
childhood  and  so  a  new  clue  to  the  educative  process  in  its  rehgious 
aspects.  The  history  of  education  shows  that  wherever  the  child 
has  been  regarded  and  respected  all  forms  of  external  stimulus 
were  unnecessary'.  The  use  of  the  rod,  with  its  appeal  to  fear,  and 
of  prizes,  with  their  appeal  to  rivalrj^,  is  the  surest  e\'idence  that 
education  has  lost  its  way  and  is  devoting  its  energies  to  an  arti- 
ficial rather  than  a  natural  process.  An  intelligent  recognition  of 
the  spontaneous  interests  of  the  pupils  makes  punishments  and 
rewards  unnecessary.  The  discovery  of  the  interest  which  social 
service  holds  for  the  young  people  in  the  Sunday  school  is  therefore 
of  large  significance. 

In  the  history  of  religious  education  hundreds  of  devices  have 
been  suggested  and  used  to  make  the  Sunday  school  more  attractive 
and  to  increase  its  attendance.  Giving  no  sympathetic  or  intelli- 
gent consideration  to  the  natural  interests  of  those  most  immediately 
concerned,  the  inventors  of  these  devices  have  gone  upon  the 
assumption  that  the  problem  at  hand  was  to  make  the  Sunday 
school  interesting;  and,  ignoring  the  interests  already  present — 
those  of  the  pupils — their  solution  has  uniformly  taken  the  form  of  a 
pleasing  novelty.  But  why  resort  to  artificial  interests  when  the 
natural  are  so  much  more  effective  and  carry  such  large  values  ? 
A  Sunday  school  with  a  program  of  social  service  is  not  only  an 
interesting  Sunday  school,  but,  better  by  far,  it  is  a  Sunday  school 
of  interested  pupils  and  teachers.  Whenever  the  pupils  were  asked 
if  they  preferred  a  Sunday  school  with  or  without  social  service 
they  promptly  and  decisively  replied  in  favor  of  social  service. 


124  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

Young  people  usually  know  what  they  want,  and  when  given  an 
opportunity  to  express  their  preference  they  seldom  fail  in  frank- 
ness. The  attraction,  then,  which  social  service  possesses  for  them 
cannot  easily  be  denied. 

There  is  good  reason,  too,  for  social  service  seizing  young  people 
as  it  does.  It  links  itself  with  the  elemental  social  instinct.  It 
furnishes  an  attractive,  expressive  activity  and  deals  decidedly 
with  the  concrete.  The  child's  interest  is  primarily  in  activities 
and  in  concrete  objects  or  experiences,  and  when  religion  is  presented 
to  him  in  a  concrete  and  objective  form  it  is  not  only  more  easily 
comprehended  and  more  warmly  appreciated,  but  its  institutions 
become  more  real  and  its  expressions  more  attractive  to  him. 

Then  social  service  gives  significance  and  strength  to  the  group 
life  of  the  class.  Many  in  the  Sunday  school  are  under  the  domi- 
nance of  the  "gang  impulse"  and  readily  yield  to  any  attractive 
unifying  force.  By  making  the  class  significant  as  a  group,  social 
service  becomes  such  a  force  and  pre-empts  this  social  impulse  for 
the  larger  socializing  process  of  religion.  With  adolescence  comes 
the  larger  social  interest  and  the  altruistic  spirit.  The  appeal  of 
social  service  to  this  period  of  idealism  is  irresistible. 

Compositions  written  by  thousands  of  children  in  New  York  with  reference 
to  the  vocations  they  desired  to  follow  when  they  were  grown  up  were  collated 
by  Dr.  Thurber.  The  replies  show  that  the  desire  for  character  increased 
somewhat  throughout,  but  rapidly  after  twelve,  and  the  impulse  to  do  good  in 
the  world,  which  had  risen  slowly  from  nine,  mounted  sharply  after  thirteen.' 

With  reference  to  the  choice  of  ideals  during  childhood  and 
youth.  Dr.  Hall  summarizes  his  investigations  with  the  conclusions: 

Civic  virtues  certainly  rise;  material  and  utilitarian  considerations  do  not 
seem  to  much,  if  at  all,  at  adolescence,  and  in  some  data  decline.  Position, 
fame,  honor,  and  general  greatness  increase  rapidly,  but  moral  qualities  rise 
highest  and  also  fastest  just  before  and  near  puberty,  and  continue  to  increase 
later  yet.  By  these  choices  both  sexes,  but  girls  far  most,  show  increasing 
admiration  of  ethical  and  social  quahties.^ 

With  adolescence  comes  the  instinctive  awakening  of  the  larger 
social  interests  and  to  the  idealism  of  )'outh  the  altruism  of  social 
service  speaks  with  inherent  strength. 

'G.  S.  Hall,  Adolescence,  II,  389. 
^Ibid.,  II,  390. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  125 

§  4.      MOTIVES   IN   SOCIAL   SERVICE 

"Children  act  morally,"  says  Edgar  James  Swift,  "long  before 
they  know  why  they  do  so.  The  discussion  of  principles  of  conduct 
comes  later.  Indeed,  it  is  a  mistake  to  make  boys  and  girls  over- 
conscious  of  ethical  motives."^  After  endeavoring  to  make  one's 
way  into  the  secret  recesses  in  the  moral  life  of  young  people, 
one  finds  it  easy  to  indorse  this  statement.  No  feature  in  this 
intensive  study  presented  more  difficulty  than  the  problem  of  obtain- 
ing a  clue  to  the  motives  behind  social  service.  The  young  people 
who  furnished  information  were  not  strongly  conscious  of  their 
motives.  No  doubt  if  a  direct  approach  had  been  made  and  the 
question  had  been  bluntly  asked,  "What  is  your  motive  in  doing 
this  work?"  quite  definite  repHes  would  have  been  given.  But 
the  value  in  such  answers  would  have  been  very  slight,  and  it  was 
felt,  moreover,  that  we  had  no  right  to  impair  their  moral  Kfe  by 
making  them  overconscious  of  their  motives.  Accordingly  we  were 
restricted  to  flank  movements  in  our  endeavor  to  bring  out  state- 
ments which  would  unconsciously  expose  their  real  motives, 
and  all  their  statements  must  be  estimated  in  the  light  of  this 
method. 

With  one  exception  all  of  the  motives  were  entirely  objective. 
A  young  man  of  twenty-one  referred  to  the  strong  incentive  to 
social  service  which  he  found  in  the  comradeship  with  an  older 
man  which  a  certain  work  afforded  him.  Yet  after  emphasizing 
this  subjective  element  he  added,  "I  can  remember  of  feeling  that 
it  seemed  worth  while  doing  it  all  just  to  see  and  to  know  of  the 
joyful  surprise  and  joy  and  happiness  that  this  effort  was  bringing 
to  others  who  except  for  that  might  not  have  a  good  time." 

As  the  motives  were  prevailingly  objective,  so  they  were  uni- 
formly humanitarian  and  altruistic.  A  little  girl  six  and  a  half 
years  old  showed  great  interest  in  the  Christmas  activities  of  her 
kindergarten.  At  home  very  little  purposely  was  said  about  the 
work  the  class  was  doing.  But  some  weeks  later,  when  sufficient 
time  had  elapsed  for  the  novelty  to  wear  off  and  any  excitement  to 
subside,  she  was  carefully  drawn  into  a  description  of  what  they  did. 
In  the  midst  of  the  conversation,  when  she  expressed  a  liking  for 

'  E.  J.  Swift,  Youth  and  the  Race,  p.  234. 


126  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

doing  such  things,  her  father  said  to  her,  "What  do  you  hke  about 
it?"  Instantly  she  replied,  "I  like  to  think  they  will  be  happ)'." 
Six  weeks  later  she  was  artfully  engaged  in  a  similar  conversation. 
This  time  when  she  referred  to  the  children  to  whom  the  presents 
went  she  tarried  longer  over  their  personal  condition— they  were 
orphans — and  she  accordingly  gave  as  her  reason  for  liking  to 
make  them  presents,  "Because  they  cannot  have  their  fathers  and 
mothers." 

A  girl  (age  of  class  eleven  to  thirteen)  used  the  one  word  "sym- 
pathy" to  indicate  her  motive.  A  girl  (age  of  class  thirteen  to 
fifteen)  said,  "We  like  to  make  others  happy,"  while  another 
member  of  the  same  class  said,  "The  circumstances  of  the  family 
make  us  feel  like  doing  something."  A  boy  (age  of  class  fourteen 
to  sixteen)  was  very  earnest  in  declaring,  "We  like  to  do  good." 
A  boy  (age  of  class  fourteen  to  sixteen)  gave  expression  to  his  views 
by  saying,  "It  is  just  the  Christian  spirit."  He  added  the  further 
statement,  "It  makes  the  class  feel  as  if  they  were  doing  some- 
thing." A  boy  (age  of  class  fourteen  to  sixteen)  ver)'  suggestively 
remarked,  "It  gives  one  something  to  think  of  besides  himself." 

With  two  boys  (age  of  class  fourteen  to  sixteen)  there  was  much 
in  common  in  their  thought.  One  was  interested  in  the  social 
work  of  the  class  because,  "It  gives  us  a  chance  to  help  others  and 
we  have  not  had  much  experience  in  that";  while  the  other  found 
himself  attracted  to  it  because,  "It  is  something  out  of  the  ordinary 
and  it  helps  us  to  get  into  the  spirit  of  giving." 

A  boy  (age  of  class  fourteen  to  sixteen)  who  seemed  very  wise 
for  his  years  observed,  "If  we  help  others  they  will  see  there  is 
something  in  Christianity.  They  can  see  the  brotherhood  of  man. 
It  helps  to  make  better  citizens." 

A  girl  (age  of  class  fifteen  to  seventeen)  showed  the  weak  spot 
in  her  heart  when  she  expressed  a  preference  for  a  family  with 
children  and  referred  to  the  children  as  the  strong  attraction  for 
her  class. 

A  young  woman  (age  of  class  sixteen  to  eighteen)  made  a  prac- 
tical point  when  she  said,  "All  classes  should  do  some  social  service. 
It  is  an  expression  of  what  they  are  taught."  She  also  added, 
"In  social  service  one  is  doing  something.  You  are  making  your- 
self felt." 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  127 

A  young  woman  (age  of  class  seventeen  to  twenty)  whose  class 
did  continuous  and  significant  service,  made  use  of  just  a  passing 
phrase,  ''helping  others,"  that  revealed  her  motive;  while  another 
member  of  the  same  class  substantiated  her  testimony  by  declaring, 
"We  were  interested  in  the  families  we  were  helping  and  wanted 
to  do  good." 

A  young  man  (age  of  class  seventeen  to  twenty),  with  a  world 
of  significance  for  religious  education,  gave  as  a  reason  for  the 
activities  of  his  class,  "We  like  to  help  other  people.  We  have 
been  brought  up  in  that  way." 

This  is  certainly  a  very  creditable  exhibition  of  motives.  The 
rehgion  of  these  young  people  is  one  of  vigor,  healthy-mindedness, 
and  human  interest.  It  finds  expression,  not  in  pious  platitudes 
nor  sanctimonious  reflections  nor  unnatural  exhortations,  but  in 
activities  which  embody  and  reveal  the  living  spirit  of  rehgion. 
Jesus  proclaimed  not  merely  a  rule  of  his  own  faith,  but  a  law 
of  hfe  itself,  when  he  said,  "He  that  would  be  greatest  among 
you,  let  him  be  the  servant  of  all."  It  is  certainly  very  gratifying, 
therefore,  to  find  a  company  of  young  people  who  are  learning  to 
identify  religion  with  kindness,  sympathy,  and  service,  and  who  are 
doing  religious  work  without  ostentation  and  with  no  consciousness 
of  merit.  These  young  people,  too,  were  not  on  dress  parade. 
They  were  caught  unawares,  and  what  we  are  able  to  present  is  a 
snapshot  of  their  motives  actually  at  work.  If  a  program  of  social 
service  in  the  Sunday  school  will  promote  the  development  of  such 
a  t3pe  of  religious  life  it  cannot  too  quickly  be  given  a  place. 

§  5.      REFLEX   INFLUENCE   OF   SOCL\.L   SERVICE 

One  of  the  first  eft'ects  of  social  service  of  which  we  shall  take 
notice  is  its  socializing  character.  The  whole  tendency  of  social 
service  is  to  establish  the  participants  in  personal  human  relations 
with  a  wider  and  wider  range  of  people— in  other  words,  to  socialize 
them.  The  contrast  between  living  in  full  personal  relations  with 
other  people  and  sustaining  merely  abstract  relations  with  them  is 
fundamental.  When  personal  relations  prevail  all  the  members  of 
the  enlarging  group  are  regarded  as  full  human  beings,  whereas  if 
abstract  relations  alone  exist  the  various  members  of  the  group  are 


128  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

arranged,  labeled,  and  treated  as  belonging  to  a  class.  Reference 
has  already  been  made  to  the  essential  difference  between  social 
service  and  charity  work.  The  difference  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
each  represents  a  distinctively  different  attitude  toward  the  objects 
of  its  attention.  The  attitude  of  social  service  grows  out  of  the 
perfectly  definite  human  feehng  which  is  cherished  toward  those 
whom  it  serves,  while  the  attitude  of  charity  work  has  its  origin 
in  the  aristocratic  caste  spirit  which  thinks  of  those  whom  it  helps 
as  members  of  a  class.  The  relations  in  social  service  are  personal; 
the  relations  in  charity  work  are  abstract,  and  while  charity  work 
hinders,  social  service  promotes  the  socializing  process. 

The  socializing  character  of  social  service  came  out  clearly  in 
our  intensive  study.  Several  of  the  older  pupils  made  definite 
reference  to  the  larger  social  vision  which  came  to  them  through 
participation  in  social  endeavors.  A  girl  of  thirteen  beHeved  that 
social  work  ''made  them  more  appreciative  of  conditions  in  life." 
A  boy  of  fourteen  thought  it  was  good  to  do  social  service  because 
"we  see  conditions."  A  boy  of  fifteen  was  on  the  same  trail  when 
he  remarked,  "It  helps  one  to  realize  conditions."  With  the  mem- 
ory of  a  familiar  saying  in  his  mind  a  boy  of  sixteen  pointed  out  as  a 
chief  effect  of  doing  social  service,  "We  realize  what  half  of  the 
people  are  doing  and  get  a  broader  conception  of  life."  A  young 
woman  of  eighteen  expressed  satisfaction  over  the  work  her  class 
did  in  a  settlement  because,  "It  brought  us  face  to  face  with 
needs";  while  another  member  of  the  same  class  gave  as  the 
source  of  her  satisfaction,  "It  made  us  realize  what  was  going  on. 
It  brought  us  in  closer  touch  with  other  people  and  broadened  us. 
We  saw  there  was  a  lot  to  be  done."  A  young  man  of  twenty-one, 
who  gave  a  somewhat  fuller  statement  of  the  effect  of  social  service 
on  himself,  very  definitely  declared  its  socializing  value  by  saying, 
"  I  was  led  to  think  upon  the  unusual  conditions  of  these  people  who 
were  strangers  to  the  common,  matter-of-course  joys  that  I  had." 

Taken  by  themselves,  isolated  and  fragmentary',  these  state- 
ments may  not  carry  much  value.  But  they  cannot  be  taken  by 
themselves,  for  what  we  see  as  a  mere  suggestion  in  these  statements 
was  a  vital  reality  of  large  value  in  experience.  With  many  of  these 
twenty-two  young  people  social  service  took  the  form  of  helping 
families,  and  in  every  instance  they  had  a  precise  and  intimate 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  129 

knowledge  of  the  f amity.  As  often  as  a  family  was  mentioned  the 
pupil  was  asked  to  describe  it,  and  not  one  ever  failed  to  do  so. 
They  knew  who  was  head  of  the  household,  they  could  give  the 
relative  ages  of  the  children,  and  they  were  fully  acquainted 
with  the  occasions  for  help.  What  does  this  signify  ?  Nothing  or 
everything.  Nothing  as  a  collection  of  statistics;  everything  when 
the  basis  of  this  knowledge  is,  as  it  was  with  these  young  people, 
personal  friendship  for  those  whom  they  served.  The  spirit  of 
these  young  people  abounded  in  kindly  human  qualities,  and  with 
this  attitude  of  personal  interest  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  came  to 
know  the  families  for  whom  they  worked  and  to  regard  and  treat 
them  as  friends. 

A  young  woman  of  eighteen  described  the  work  of  her  class  as 
friendly  visiting  and  referred  to  the  visits  which  they  frequently 
made  as  the  most  valuable  service  which  they  did  for  their  family. 
Yet  this  class  went  a  long  way  toward  supporting  this  family  during 
the  illness  of  the  husband  and  father,  and  when  he  died  they 
rendered  them  much  invaluable  help.  Through  their  counsel 
and  assistance  the  mother  made  application  for  a  widow's  pension, 
a  good  position  was  obtained  for  one  of  the  daughters,  and  the 
family  was  kept  together  and  set  on  its  feet.  In  describing  their 
work  for  this  family  this  young  woman  remarked,  "We  came  to 
have  a  real  friendship  for  these  people  and  they  were  always  so 
pleased  to  see  us."  Later  when  she  was  asked,  "Was  any  feature 
of  your  work  unsatisfactory?"  she  replied,  "Yes;  we  should  have 
followed  up  the  family  longer,  but  the  class  was  broken  up  and 
we  were  not  able  to  do  so."  We  were  told,  however,  by  another 
member  of  the  class  that  some  of  them  were  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  family;  and  as  the  need  of  help  no  longer  existed,  the  relations, 
it  is  evident,  were  purely  friendly. 

A  boy  of  sixteen  described  a  crippled  lad  whom  his  class  visited. 
They  took  him  books  and  papers,  "told  him  what  was  going  on  out- 
side and  tried  to  cheer  him  up."  Could  one  ask  from  boys  a  more 
beautiful  expression  of  the  social  spirit  ?  The  crippled  boy  did  not 
belong  to  their  natural  group.  There  were  no  common  interests 
between  their  parents  and  his.  But  he  was  a  boy,  lonely  and 
unfortunate,  and  that  was  enough  to  make  these  boys  give  him 
their  friendship. 


130  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

A  girl  of  fourteen  afforded  an  opportunity  for  an  interesting 
experiment.  With  the  family  her  class  was  assisting  the  need  for 
help  was  not  so  evident  as  in  the  other  families  described.  There 
was  no  sickness  in  the  family,  the  mother  was  able  to  be  at  home, 
and  the  father  was  working.  A  number  of  questions  were  therefore 
asked,  which  would  bring  this  fact  consciously  before  her,  to  see 
if  she  would  criticize  or  blame  them  in  any  way.  It  was  all  in  vain, 
and  when  she  was  asked  outright,  "Why  do  the  family  need  help  ?  " 
"Well,"  she  said,  "  the  family  is  large,  there  are  seven  children,  and 
the  father  is  not  able  to  earn  enough."  Her  explanation  was  the 
real  one,  and  she  hit  upon  it  when  others  would  have  missed  it, 
because  along  with  other  members  of  the  class  she  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  the  home  and  had  entered  into  intimate  relations  with  the 
family. 

So  the  closer  one  came  to  these  young  people  the  more  he  was 
convinced  of  the  socializing  character  of  social  service.  They 
themselves  were  conscious  of  it.  It  gave  them  a  better  knowledge 
of  life,  a  fuller  understanding  of  its  struggles,  and  a  truer  apprecia- 
tion of  the  conditions  in  which  many  people  are  forced  to  live. 
Their  spirit  hkewise  revealed  its  broadening  influence.  They 
were  human,  sjTnpathetic,  kindly,  free  from  all  priggishness,  and 
above  harsh  judgment.  Beyond  all,  their  attitude  of  personal 
interest  and  real  friendliness  showed  how  far  they  had  traveled  from 
the  region  of  abstract  relations  and  how  completely  they  had  come 
into  full  realization  of  the  people  of  another  group  as  full  human 
beings.  If  participation  in  social  service  would  do  as  much  for  all 
young  people  as  it  has  evidently  done  for  these,  certainly  its 
value  in  religious  education  is  placed  beyond  all  question. 

§  6.      SOCIAL   SERVICE   AND   THE   EMOTIONS 

When  we  come  to  the  emotional  effects  of  participating  in  social 
service  we  find  ourselves  in  possession  of  an  equally  decisive  body 
of  evidence.  Doing  for  others  enriches  the  emotional  life.  It 
stimulates  and  develops  the  higher  feelings  and  worthier  sentiments. 
It  favors  emotional  attitudes  of  a  social  character  and  of  the  most 
desirable  type. 

The  testimony  of  the  young  people  themselves  is  most  con- 
vincing.    A  girl  of  twelve  stated  the  case  for  social  service  with  the 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  131 

remark,  "It  makes  one  more  sympathetic.  It  adds  more  pleasure 
to  life."  A  girl  of  fourteen  added  another  item  when  she  said,  "  We 
feel  happier  after  doing  such  work.  I  think  it  makes  girls  more 
self-denying."  Another  girl  of  fourteen  brought  out  still  other  ele- 
ments when  she  declared  with  some  emphasis,  "It  makes  one  more 
thankful.  One  would  like  to  do  more.  We  do  mighty  little."  A 
boy  of  fourteen  thought  the  chief  effect  of  working  for  others  was  the 
fact  that,  "It  makes  one  feel  as  if  he  had  done  something."  Another 
boy  of  fourteen  who  was  enthusiastic  over  social  service,  remarked, 
"It  stirs  the  heart  to  do  more.  It  fills  one  with  sympathy."  A  boy 
of  fifteen  in  describing  his  visit  to  a  family  said,  "  I  felt  awful  happy. 
I  wished  I  could  give  a  bunch  of  coal."  When  he  was  asked,  "Was 
any  feature  of  your  work  unsatisfactory?"  he  replied,  "Yes;  we 
could  not  do  enough."  Another  boy  of  fifteen,  with  his  eye  on  the 
future,  said,  "Work  of  this  kind  is  just  the  beginning  of  a  greater 
work,"  while  yet  another  of  the  same  age  expressed  a  similar 
feeling  by  saying,  "It  makes  one  want  to  get  more  into  it."  A  young 
man  of  eighteen  gave  as  his  testimony,  "One  feels  better  after- 
ward. He  feels  like  doing  more  of  it."  A  young  woman  of 
eighteen,  whose  class  had  done  very  significant  work  and  at  some 
financial  outlay,  when  asked  how  they  financed  their  work,  answered, 
"We  took  the  money  from  our  allowance,  but  we  did  not  feel  it." 
We  learned,  however,  from  another  source  that  this  young  woman's 
giving  was  of  such  extent  that  most  people  in  her  position  would 
have  felt  it.  Another  member  of  the  same  class  said,  "It  gives 
happiness  to  one's  self  to  do  for  others.  It  tends  to  develop  the 
self-sacrificing  spirit."  Speaking  of  his  own  experience,  a  young 
man  of  twenty-one  confessed,  "It  developed  a  sympathy  for  those 
less  fortunate  or  less  favored  than  myself.  It  caused  me  to  have 
more  of  a  willingness  to  help  them." 

These  statements  speak  for  themselves  and  any  analysis  of 
them  is  unnecessary.  Sympathy,  gratitude,  benevolence,  the  joy  of 
service,  appreciation,  contentment,  all  are  here,  and  some  qualities 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe  in  a  single  word.  We  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  these  emotions  or  sentiments  had  ripened  into 
their  full,  mellow  beauty.  Their  development  no  doubt  varied 
with  the  individual  and  varied  greatly.     But  the  fact  that  these 


132  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

feelings  were  aroused  in  these  young  people  shows  that  we  are 
on  the  right  track  when  we  adopt  social  service  as  material  for 
rehgious  education.  The  thesis  of  modern  psycholog}^  that  feehng 
is  generated  by  conduct  is  true.  Emotion  accompanies  conduct  and 
conduct  conditions  emotion.  What  we  feel  depends  upon  what  we 
do.  To  initiate  and  promote  the  higher  forms  of  conduct  is  to 
induce  emotional  attitudes  and  dispositions  equally  commendable 
and  worthy,  and  the  value  for  rehgious  education  of  a  program  of 
social  service  is  that  it  provides  selected  forms  of  behavior  wliich 
carry  high  emotional  values. 

An  impressive  illustration  of  the  rehgious  value  of  social  service 
was  furnished  by  the  experience  of  one  young  woman,  a  university 
student,  whose  story  was  told  by  her  Sunday-school  teacher.  This 
young  woman  was  brought  up  in  a  decidedly  non-rehgious  home. 
While  her  parents  were  respectable  and  cultured  people  they  were 
utterly  indififerent  to  religion  in  any  of  its  forms  or  expressions  and 
their  daughter  received  no  religious  instruction  and  never  attended 
church  or  Sunday  school.  When  about  seventeen  she  was  invited 
by  a  teacher  in  a  Baptist  Sunday  school,  a  friend  of  the  family, 
to  unite  with  her  class  and  she  received  the  proposal  with  favor. 
This  class  was  known  for  its  zeal  in  social  work  and  she  was  ver}- 
quickly  seized  with  its  enthusiasm  and  became  one  of  its  foremost 
workers.  Before  uniting  with  this  class  she  was  self-centered  and 
had  no  sense  of  responsibihty.  It  never  occurred  to  her  that  she 
had  any  duties  in  life  and  she  was  quite  regardless  of  the  needs  of 
others.  But  under  the  influence  of  her  associations  in  this  class 
and  her  participation  in  its  social  service  a  decided  change  came 
over  her  that  was  most  evident  to  those  who  knew  her.  Her 
mother  remarked   repeatedly,   "What  a  change  has  come  over 

M .     She  is  getting  to  have  a  sense  of  responsibihty 

Her  work  in  that  class  has  done  more  to  develop  her  than  any  other 
factor  that  has  come  into  her  hfe."  In  a  year  or  so  she  united  with 
the  church  and  she  is  now  one  of  its  valued  Sunday-school  teachers, 
a  generous  giver  to  all  good  causes,  a  devoted  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ.  She  has  learned  that  the  joy  and  meaning  of  life  arc  found 
in  service,  and  the  appeal  that  reached  and  won  her  was  the  appeal 
that  comes  through  personal  participation  in  social  service. 


CHAPTER  VII 
A  SUGGESTED  CURRICULUM  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

The  aim  of  this  chapter  is  to  suggest  a  program  of  social  en- 
deavor which  will  exhibit  forms  of  service  suited  to  the  developing 
capacities  of  young  people.  These  forms  of  service,  it  must  be  said, 
are  merely  typical  and  are  not  presented  as  an  exhaustive  list  of 
the  activities  which  religious  education  may  employ  for  its  purposes. 
To  formulate  a  program  of  social  activities  which  would  be  adapted 
to  all  Sunday  schools  or  to  any  single  Sunday  school  all  the  time  is 
not  possible.  Every  community  furnishes  its  own  tasks  and  every 
Sunday  school  must  largely  construct  its  own  program. 

One  of  the  first  duties  of  a  Sunday  school  is  to  discover  its  oppor- 
tunities for  service.  It  will  facilitate  this  attainment  to  make  a 
list  of  the  organizations,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  or  more 
remote,  with  which  it  can  most  naturally  work,  and  then  to  ascer- 
tain what  forms  of  service  by  young  people  these  institutions  and 
societies  would  most  appreciate.  When  this  is  done  any  school  can 
formulate  a  graded  program  of  social  service  if  it  will  recognize  the 
gradations  in  interest  and  capacity  in  young  people  and  if  it  will 
select  forms  of  service  in  which  all  departments  of  the  school  can 
more  or  less  constantly  participate. 

§  I.      OBJECTS   OF   SOCIAL   SERVICE 

The  objects  of  social  service  suitable  for  young  people  may  be 
arranged  in  five  classes: 

1.  Animals. — All  children  should  be  taught  to  enter  into  sym- 
pathetic relationship  with  all  forms  of  life  about  them.  They  should 
study  these  manifestations  of  life  from  the  artistic,  economic,  and 
sympathetic  sides  and  should  be  vigilant  in  preventing,  as  far  as 
they  are  able,  suffering  and  wrong  treatment  to  others.  Such  sym- 
pathy and  interest  can  best  be  developed  through  kindly  efforts  for 
the  welfare  of  animals. 

2.  Babies  and  older  children. — These  may  be  either  orphans  or 
half-orphans,  sick,  dependent,  or  neglected. 

133 


134  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

3.  Unfortunate  families. — Families  overtaken  by  misfortune  and 
in  need  of  sympathy  and  friendliness  appeal  strongly  to  young 
people  and  call  for  forms  of  assistance  quite  within  their  powers. 
The  more  complex  problems  of  relief  which  arise  in  connection  with 
intemperance,  vice,  and  habitual  shiftlessness  should  not  be  intro- 
duced before  the  college  years.  Caring  for  needy  families  affords 
a  fine  opportunity  to  correlate  the  social  service  of  children  and 
parents  and  as  far  as  possible  advantage  should  be  taken  of  this 
opportunity.  When  the  parents  and  children  co-operate  in  this 
way  the  social  ministries  of  the  family  are  unified,  and  through  this 
unification  the  great  end  of  social  service  is  facihtated  and  it  becomes 
possible  for  the  family  as  a  whole  to  ally  itself  with  another  family 
in  reciprocal  social  relations. 

4.  The  aged.— In  private  homes,  almshouses,  old  people's  homes, 
and  homes  for  incurables  there  are  many  old  persons  who  need  the 
light  and  cheer  and  good  spirits  which  belong  to  the  buoyancy  of 
youth. 

5.  The  local  and  missionary  work  of  the  church. — There  is  no  bet- 
ter way  to  heighten  their  appreciation  of  the  church  as  a  social 
institution  than  to  engage  the  young  people,  especially  in  their 
adolescent  years,  in  appropriate  efforts  to  promote  its  purposes. 
Through  such  participation  in  the  life  of  the  church  there  will  come 
to  them  an  enlarging  sense  of  the  multiplicity  and  variety  of  endeav- 
ors which  make  up  the  content  of  ordinary  church  work.  Possibly 
many  churches  may  experience  more  difficulty  in  discovering  tasks 
which  their  young  people  can  perform  for  them  than  in  finding 
services  with  a  philanthropic  intention,  but  the  problem  is  one  to 
be  vigorously  and  persistently  attacked.  It  is  likewise  exceedingly 
important  to  enlist  the  young  people  in  the  missionary  enterprises 
of  the  church,  for  this  will  constitute  their  affiliation  with  the  dis- 
tinctively religious  advance  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  value  of  this  analysis  is  that  it  sets  forth  in  a  systematized 
form  the  comprehensive  field  which  solicits  the  energy  and  enthu- 
siasm of  childhood  and  youth.  It  is  not  proposed  that  any  group 
will  be  occupied  with  all  of  these  interests  at  any  one  time.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  not  unduly  to  burden  young  people  nor  to  make 
demands  of  them  to  which  their  developing  natures  are  not  ready 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  135 

to  respond.  A  main  purpose  in  formulating  a  program  of  social 
service  is  to  secure  an  arrangement  and  distribution  of  activities 
which  will  assign  appropriate  tasks  to  each  department  and  give 
the  young  people,  as  they  pass  through  the  successive  grades  of  the 
school,  a  progressive  knowledge  of  social  needs. 

An  effective  program  of  social  service  demands  both  skilful  peda- 
gogy and  a  reHgious  attitude.  No  program  will  work  itself.  A 
program  is  a  dead  thing.  If  ever  it  throbs  with  life,  it  is  with  the 
life  of  a  vitally  contagious  human  spirit.  To  instal  a  program 
of  social  service  and  expect  it  to  work  automatically  and  produce 
religious  results  is  a  vain  hope.  The  religious  results  of  social 
service  will  be  in  direct  proportion  to  the  reHgious  spirit  of  the 
directing  forces.  One  of  the  first  prerequisites  to  a  satisfactory  pro- 
gram of  social  service  in  the  Sunday  school  is  a  church  pervaded 
with  the  social  spirit.  The  church  and  the  Sunday  school  cannot 
be  divorced.  The  relation  between  them  is  vital  and  inseparable. 
A  church  with  an  aristocratic  temper  cannot  maintain  a  Sunday 
school  with  a  democratic  spirit  and  it  is  useless  for  a  church  to 
expect  religious  results  from  a  program  of  social  service  if  it  assumes 
an  irreligious  attitude  to  the  entire  social  situation. 

It  is  further  essential  to  the  effectiveness  of  social  service  in 
religious  education  that  it  should  not  be  isolated  from  the  didactic 
material  of  instruction.  To  generate  religious  emotion,  to  afford 
an  adequate  expressive  outlet  for  reUgious  beUef,  to  develop  gen- 
uine human  comradeship,  it  must  be  correlated  with  the  instruc- 
tional and  devotional  elements  with  such  intimacy  and  warmth  of 
relationship  that  it  becomes  an  integral,  vital,  and  inevitable 
feature  in  the  life  of  the  school. 

§  2.      SOCIAL   SERVICE   AND   SPECIAL   OCCASIONS 

Every  Sunday  school  should  provide  some  form  of  service  for 
the  four  special  occasions  of  the  year — Thanksgiving,  Christmas, 
Easter,  and  Children's  Day.  Indeed,  a  history  of  social  service  in 
the  Sunday  school  would  probably  show  that  it  was  largely  through 
an  effort  to  make  these  occasions  vital  that  social  service  first  found 
its  way  into  the  Sunday  school.  Certainly  these  occasions  afford 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  the  introduction  of  social  service  into 


136  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

a  school,  and  when  it  becomes  fully  organized  around  these  days  its 
expansion  into  a  full  program  of  graded  endeavor  will  be  a  mere 
question  of  development.  A  brief  reference  to  suitable  forms  of 
service  for  these  occasions  will  be  sufficient  here. 

At  Thanksgiving  nothing  better  can  be  done  than  to  provide 
good  dinners  for  needy  families.  A  whole  department  should  act 
as  a  group,  assuming  responsibility  for  as  many  families  as  they 
can  manage.  As  kindergarten  children  can  hardly  be  asked  to 
provide  everything  required  for  a  complete  dinner,  it  is  wiser  to  ask 
them  to  bring  one  thing — apples,  nuts,  squash,  pumpkins,  etc.,  and 
then  distribute  these  over  the  general  offering.  Let  it  be  said  again 
with  all  emphasis  that  no  effort  should  be  spared  to  bring  the  young 
people  into  some  reciprocal  social  relation  with  the  families. 

Christmas  permits  and  calls  for  more  personal  forms  of  giving 
than  Thanksgiving.  So  the  Christmas  gift  should  be  a  group  gift 
to  another  group.  Whether  one  or  more  classes  compose  this 
group  circumstances  must  determine.  Nothing  is  more  interesting 
to  kindergarten  children  than  to  provide  and  trim  a  Christmas  tree 
for  other  httle  folks.  In  order  to  secure  uniformity  in  the  character 
of  the  gifts  and  avoid  unpleasant  comparisons  among  those  who 
receive  them,  it  is  well  to  ask  each  child  to  bring  a  stocking  of 
mosquito  netting,  the  size  and  contents  of  which  have  been  some- 
what definitely  specified. 

One  year  a  class  of  boys  spent  the  whole  of  Christmas  afternoon 
playing  with  the  boys  to  whom  they  had  taken  gifts.  Tliis  was  a 
fine  expression  of  the  Christmas  spirit,  and  the  good  time  they  had 
in  making  it  a  Merry  Christmas  for  others  has  never  been  forgotten 
by  those  boys.  Another  class  of  boys  gave  vent  to  their  love  of 
adventure  as  well  as  their  good  will  by  going  out  beyond  the  city 
limits  and  gathering  Christmas  trees  which  they  donated  to  a 
settlement.  The  beautiful  appropriateness  of  this  bit  of  social  serv- 
ice makes  one  wonder  that  more  boys'  classes  have  not  discovered 
and  appropriated  this  form  of  Christmas  giving. 

Easter  suggests  flowers  and  any  special  service  ver}-^  naturally 
will  take  advantage  of  this  suggestion.  If  plans  are  made  in  the 
fall,  at  the  time  for  planting  bulbs  to  blossom  at  Easter,  this  service 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  137 

may  assume  quite  extensive  proportions  and  be  made  a  very  beauti- 
ful expressive  activity.  The  planting  should  be  done  by  the  chil- 
dren themselves  and  if  the  basement  of  the  church  is  available, 
so  much  the  better.  Let  the  bulbs  open  in  the  spring  in  the 
kindergarten  room,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  Easter  Sunday,  and 
then  be  carried  by  the  children  to  the  Easter  service  and  left 
on  the  pulpit,  to  be  taken  later  to  the  aged  or  sick  or  to  some 
appropriate  institution.  The  possibilities  of  this  service  are  really 
very  l^rge. 

Children's  Day  should  be  devoted  to  some  form  of  significant 
service  for  children.  In  one  school  the  birthday  money  of  all  the 
members  of  the  Sunday  school  is  brought  on  this  day  and  is  used 
to  give  outings  to  children  from  the  congested  districts  of  the  city. 
Whether  this  method  be  adopted  or  not,  this  is  social  service  of  the 
highest  value,  and  might  very  fittingly  be  made  a  regular  feature  of 
Children's  Day. 

Thus  all  the  festival  occasions  should  be  given  a  touch  of  service, 
so  that  all  the  good  times  at  the  church  are  associated  with  giving 
happiness  to  others.  As  far  as  possible,  too,  the  ministries  of  these 
special  occasions  should  be  made  to  fit  into  the  regular  program  of 
social  service.  In  the  same  way  the  money -giving  should  be  cor- 
related with  this  program.  Where  each  pupil  has  his  own  envelope 
and  each  class  its  own  treasurer  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  for  the 
teacher  to  promote  discussion  concerning  suitable  objects  of  benevo- 
lence and  so  guide  the  class  to  an  intelligent  disbursement  of  its 
funds. 

For  our  purposes  we  shall  divide  the  school  into  the  following 
five  departments: 

Kindergarten,  from  three  to  five  years. 

Primary,  from  six  to  nine  years;   Grades  1-4. 

Junior,  from  ten  to  thirteen  years;   Grades  5-8. 

High  school,  from  fourteen  to  seventeen  years;   Grades  9-12. 

Young  People,  from  eighteen  to  twenty-one  years  or  farther. 

Inasmuch  as  the  program  is  only  suggestive,  it  would  be  very 
easy  to  adapt  it  to  the  six  departments  of  the  International 
system. 


138 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


Objects  of  Service 


Home  church 


The  community . 


The  larger  world 


Animals . 


§  3.      KINDERGARTEN   DEPARTMENT 
Ages  three  to  five 

Forms  of  Service 

Folding  papers  and  inclosing  them  in  envelopes  to  be 

sent  to  absent  and  sick  classmates. 
Preparing  pictures  and  small  scrapbooks  for  members 

suffering  from  prolonged  illness. 

Gift  to  a  day  nursery. 

Filling  envelopes  with  beads,  thread,  and  needle,  and 
making  small  scrapbooks  for  children's  hospital. 

Providing  equipment  or  contributing  to  the  support  of 
a  kindergarten. 

Making  small  scrapbooks  with  biblical  pictures  for  chil- 
dren in  a  mission  field. 

'  Providing  water  and  food  for  birds.  When  the  kinder- 
garten meets  through  the  week  as  well  as  on  Sunday 
this  can  easily  be  done. 


Three  sheets  of  manila  paper  9X 15  will  make  scrapbooks  large 
enough  for  the  kindergarten.  In  some  cases  the  pictures  may  be 
sent  to  be  pasted  in  by  the  recipients. 


Objects  of  Service 


Home  church 


The  community . 


.< 


§  4,      PRIMARY   DEPARTMENT 
Ages  six  to  nine;  Grades  1-4 

Forms  of  Service 

I.  Assisting    kindergarten    teacher   in   preparation    of 
material  (girls). 

Sunday-school  messenger  service  (boys). 
Beautifying  their  room. 
Boys'  choir. 

flaking    paper    houses,    furniture,   dolls,   and   doll 
dresses  for  a  home  for  foundlings. 
Making  scrapbooks  for  children's  hospital. 
Utilization  of  postcards. 
Pooling  toys  for  orphanage. 

5.  Making   May  baskets   to  be  sent   to   a   home   for 
crippled  children. 

6.  Occasional  concerts  by  boys'  choir  at  old  people's 
home. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  139 

Ages  six  to  nine;  Grades  1-4 — Continued 

Objects  of  Service  Forms  of  Service 

1.  Supporting  a  kindergarten  in  a  mission  field. 

2.  Making  collapsible  paper  houses  and  furniture  and 
cutting  out  paper  dolls  and  dresses  to  be  sent  to  chil- 
dren in  some  mission  field. 

3.  Making  scrapbooks  to  be  sent  abroad. 

4.  Utilization  of  postcards. 

[  Preparation  of  bandages  for  injured  animals,  to  be  used 
\       by  Humane  Society. 


The  larger  world . 


Animals 


A  few  words  of  explanation  will  be  sufficient  to  clear  up  any 
obscurities  in  this  program. 

Assisting  kindergarten  teacher. — Any  kindergarten  teacher  will 
suggest  to  the  superintendent  of  the  elementary  department  plenty 
of  work  for  her  girls,  such  as  folding  paper,  making  collapsible 
furniture  and  houses. 

Sunday-school  messenger  service. — This  service  consists  in  carry- 
ing a  message,  signed  by  the  superintendent,  together  with  a  copy 
of  the  Sunday-school  paper,  to  each  absent  member  of  the  depart- 
ment and  in  bringing  back  replies,  so  that  the  officers  may  know  the 
cause  of  the  absence  and  the  condition  where  sickness  prevails. 

Beautifying  their  room.—TYie  gift  of  a  picture  chosen  under  the 
direction  of  the  teacher  would  fulfil  this  suggestion. 

Boys^  choir. — Boys  ranging  in  age  from  nine  to  twelve  are  the 
best  with  which  to  start.  Boys  of  thirteen,  fourteen,  and  fifteen 
have  stronger  voices,  read  better,  have  better  breath  control,  but 
unless  trained  earlier  they  are  low  and  coarse  in  voice,  and  habits 
are  so  firmly  fijced  that  it  takes  the  most  strenuous  coaching  to  get 
a  pure  head-tone  and  real  singing  out  of  such  lads.  Boys  greatly 
enjoy  chorus  work  under  the  right  leadership  and  they  can  render 
the  church  valuable  service. 

Scrapbooks. — The  scrapbooks  made  by  "this  department  should 
be  larger  than  those  made  by  the  kindergarten.  Four  or  five  sheets 
of  paper  11X17  inches  folded  through  the  center  will  make  a  very 
suitable  size.  It  will  be  better  to  devote  each  book  to  a  single 
topic,  such  as  "A  Day  in  the  City,"  "Life  in  the  Country,"  "  Summer 
Pleasures,"  "Winter  Scenes,"  "Life  by  the  Seaside."  Magazines 
furnish  abundance  of  material. 


140 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


Utilization  of  old  postcards. — Take  a  yard  of  narrow  ribbon  or 
wrapping  tape  and  cut  it  in  halves.  Use  postcards  having  writing 
only  on  the  address  side.  String  the  cards  together  by  pasting 
writing-face  to  writing-face  with  the  ribbon  between  them  width- 
wise  of  the  cards  and  about  one  inch  from  the  outer  edge  of  the 
cards.  One  yard  of  ribbon  will  hold  sLx  pairs  of  cards.  The  dis- 
tance between  each  pair  should  be  about  one-sixteenth  of  an  mch. 
When  not  in  use  the  cards  may  be  folded  together  or  hung  by  a 
loop  at  the  upper  end  of  the  top  card.  These  postcards  will  be 
equally  welcome  at  a  children's  hospital  or  a  mission  station. 

May  baskets. — In  some  parts  of  the  country-  the  pretty  custom 
prevails  of  children  leaving  May  baskets,  made  of  tissue  paper  and 
filled  with  candy,  at  the  doors  of  the  homes  of  their  Uttle  friends. 
Similar  May  baskets  could  be  made  by  the  children  of  the  elemen- 
tary department  and  be  sent  to  a  home  for  crippled  children. 
Valentine's  Day  offers  a  similar  opportunity. 

§  5.      JUNIOR  DEPARTMENT 
Ages  ten  to  thirteen;  Grades  5-8 

Forms  of  Service 

Looking  after  their  own  classmates. 
Beautifying  their  room  by  a  gift. 
Mass  club  for  boys. 
Girls'  chorus  choir. 

Making  and  securing  illustrative  objects  for  Sunday- 
school  lessons. 
Assisting  at  church  functions. 

Collecting  and  arranging  duplicate  stamps  from  their 
own  collections  for  boys  in  a  home  for  dependent 
boys. 

Making  games,  puzzles,  and  reins  for  boys  in  orphan- 
age. 

Raising  popcorn  and  gathering  nuts  for  home  for 
crippled  children. 

Making  candy  and  popcorn  balls  for  orphanage  or 
settlement. 

Making  kimonos,  surprise  bags,  and  bedroom  slippers 
for  hospitals. 

Dressing  dolls  for  orphanage. 
Crowing  Oowers  for  llovver  mission. 
Occasional  concerts  by  girls'  chorus  choir. 
Selling  Red  Cross  Christmas  seals. 


Objects  of  Service 


Home  church . 


The  community. . 


2. 


4- 


5 


Animals 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  141 

Ages  ten  to  thirteen;  Grades  5-8— Continued 

Objects  of  Service  Forms  of  Service 

1.  Gifts  of  games  and  puzzles  of  own  make  to  Grenfell 
mission  or  an  Indian  mission  or  southern  moun- 
taineers. 

2.  Dressing  dolls  to  be  used  in  the  same  way. 

3.  Collecting  Sunday-school  papers  and  helps  to  be  sent 
abroad. 

4.  July  Christmas  tree. 

5.  Making  workbags  and  furnishing  them  with  needles, 
thread,  yarn,  buttons,  and  other  useful  articles  for 
seamen. 

6.  Gift  of  money  to  a  school  like  Tuskegee. 

/  I.  Making  birds'  nests. 

\  2.  Gift  of  money  to  Humane  Society. 


The  larger  world 


EXPLANATIONS 

Classmates. — Pupils  of  this  department  should  be  given  a  large 
responsibility  in  looking  up  absent  members.  The  sick  should  be 
remembered  by  frequent  calls,  or  where  this  is  impossible  on  account 
of  the  contagious  nature  of  the  illness,  a  systematic  arrangement 
should  be  made  for  the  regular  forwarding  of  cards,  papers,  and 
other  small  remembrances.  Members  of  the  class  might  even  offer 
to  do  errands  for  the  mother.  While  not  relaxing  his  own  efforts 
a  wise  teacher  can  apparently  give  the  responsibility  of  the  absentees 
largely  to  the  class.  This  is  the  "gang  period"  and  its  spirit  should 
be  utilized. 

Girls'  chorus  choir. — At  this  age  girls  read  music  very  readily, 
their  voices  are  exceedingly  sweet,  their  articulation  never  better, 
and  a  girls'  chorus  choir  offers  a  most  attractive  field  of  service. 

Illustrative  material. — The  value  of  objective  teaching  is  well 
understood,  but  its  value  will  be  all  the  greater  if  the  objects  are 
made  or  secured  by  the  pupils  themselves.  Experience  proves  this 
is  quite  within  their  abiHty. 

Assisting  at  church  functions. — Almost  every  church  function, 
such  as  a  church  supper  or  social,  will  call  for  work  which  the  older 
members  of  this  department  can  perform.  Such  services  as  gather- 
ing flowers,  ferns,  or  evergreens  for  decorations,  arranging  chairs 
and  tables,  checking  coats  and  hats,  serve  as  illustrations.     Care 


142  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

should  be  taken  to  give  all  such  services  a  setting  of  dignity,  so  that 
the  young  people  will  feel  that  their  contribution  is  worth  while. 

Raising  popcorn  and  gathering  nuts. — This  is  a  bit  of  service 
which  is  open  to  children  in  the  country  and  which  would  bring 
great  dehght  to  the  group  of  children  who  received  the  popcorn  and 
nuts.  The  mention  of  this  opportunity  for  giving  happiness  will 
suggest  others  of  a  similar  kind. 

Surprise  bags. — These  bags  are  so  useful  that  they  are  warmly 
welcomed  at  a  children's  hospital.  Hung  over  the  bedpost  a  sur- 
prise bag  provides  a  convenient  receptacle  for  the  child's  little 
belongings  for  which  there  is  no  other  place.  Two  or  three  httle 
"surprise"  gifts  should  be  placed  in  each  bag. 

Growing  flowers  for  a  flower  mission. — This  is  another  piece  of 
social  service  appropriate  for  schools  in  the  country  or  smaller  towns. 
A  village  Sunday  school  sent  150  large  boxes  last  summer  to  the 
Chicago  Flower  Mission.  The  flowers  should  be  gathered  and 
packed  on  a  stated  day  every  week  and  shipped  in  cardboard  boxes. 
Boxes  shipped  to  Chicago  bearing  the  label  of  the  Chicago  Flower 
Mission  are  carried  free  by  the  express  companies.  The  seed 
should  be  bought  by  funds  from  the  treasury  of  the  class  or  depart- 
ment concerned  and  each  member  should  be  given  a  packet. 

Collecting  Sunday-school  papers  and  helps. — These  are  not  in 
demand  in  all  mission  fields  but  there  are  special  stations  where 
they  are  very  welcome.  In  the  Philippines  our  International  Uni- 
form Lessons  are  studied  some  months  later  than  here.  On  this 
account  undistributed  clean  quarterlies  may  be  used  to  advantage. 
They  may  be  forwarded  to  the  Philippines  as  "second-class  matter," 
at  the  rate  of  one  cent  for  each  four  ounces.  The  department  for 
utilizing  waste  material  of  the  World's  Sunday-School  Association 
will  gladly  furnish  information  concerning  the  disposal  of  such 
material. 

July  Christmas  tree. — A  July  Christmas  tree  is  a  barrel  or  box 
packed  in  the  summer  with  Christmas  presents  for  children  in  some 
far-away  land.  Children  always  enjoy  the  preparation  of  sucli  a 
"tree,"  and  if  they  pack  the  barrel  or  box  themselves  under  direc- 
tion their  enjoyment  will  ])e  all  the  greater. 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE 


143 


Objects  of  Service 


The  community . 


The  larger  world 


§  6.      HIGH-SCHOOL  DEPARTMENT 
Ages  four  ken  lo  seventeen;  Grades  g-12 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Looking  after  their  own  classmates. 

2.  Interesting  themselves  in  younger  boys  and  girls  of 
the  school. 

3.  Messenger  cadets. 
Home  church \    4.  Editing  Sunday-school  department  of  church  paper. 

5.  Beautifying  their  own  room. 

6.  Designing  posters  and  place-cards  for  the  church 
functions. 

7.  Contributions  to  current  expenses  of  the  church. 

1.  Providing  a  scholarship  for  a  boy  or  girl  under  the 
direction  of  the  Juvenile  Protective  Association. 

2.  Remailing  Youth's  Companion  and  other  papers. 

3.  Helping  at  social  centers  in  games  and  gymnasium 
classes. 

4.  TeUing  stories  and  directing  appropriate  games  on 
Sunday  at  social  center. 

5.  Giving  a  picnic  to  a  group  of  children. 

6.  Providing  a  week  in  the  country  for  a  boy  or  girl. 

7.  ]\Iaking  fireless  cookers  and  ice  boxes  and  screens 
under  the  direction  of  the  visiting  housekeeper  of 
the  United  Charities. 

8.  Making  jelly  or  grape  juice  as  a  class  for  District 
Nurses'  Association. 

9.  Tearing  up  bandages  for  District  Nurses'  Association. 
ID.  Making  simple  garments  according  to  patterns. 

11.  Collecting  magazines  for  almshouses  or  hospitals. 

12.  Taking  out  patients  from  the  home  for  incurables 
for  a  ride  in  a  wheel  chair. 

13.  Kindnesses  as  Boy  Scouts  or  Camp  Fire  Girls. 

14.  Participation  in  civic  improvements. 

1.  Collecting  papers  to  be  sent  abroad. 

2.  Making  sheets,  pillowslips,  quilts,  and  simple  gar- 
ments for  Grenfell  Mission. 

3.  Educating  a  boy  or  girl  in  some  foreign  country. 

4.  Simple  missionary  plays. 

1.  Reporting  to  Anti-Cruelty  Society  all  stray  dogs  and 
Animals <         cats. 

2.  Furnishing  a  drinking  fountain. 


144  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

EXPLANATIONS 

Older  boys  working  for  younger  boys. — "The  leverage  on  ever}' 
epoch  of  boy  life,"  says  Fiske,  "is  the  age  next  older;  near  enough 
to  it  to  gain  confidence  and  admiration,  yet  enough  older  to  hold 
respect."  Boys  must  be  won  by  boys,  and  as  its  boys  can  do  no 
better  work  for  the  church  than  to  win  the  boys  a  httle  younger,  so 
the  church  can  do  no  better  work  for  its  boys  than  to  direct  and 
guide  and  inspire  them  in  this  service.  The  boys  to  enlist  in  this 
service  are  third-  and  fourth-year  high-school  boys. 

Messenger  cadets. — The  function  of  this  organization  is  the  dis- 
tribution of  printed  matter  of  various  kinds  issued  by  the  church. 
The  value  of  this  service  will  be  realized  when  it  is  stated  that 
pastors  sometimes  have  more  of  this  work  than  their  cadets  are 
able  to  handle. 

Beautifying  their  own  room. — As  the  more  the  members  of  a 
class  do  for  their  room  the  more  they  will  prize  it,  they  should  be 
encouraged  as  much  as  possible  to  decorate  and  beautify  it. 
Recently  a  class,  after  prolonged  discussion  among  its  members 
concerning  the  color  scheme  of  their  room,  spent  a  whole  evening 
talking  it  over  with  a  professor  of  aesthetic  and  industrial  education 
in  a  neighboring  university.  Aside  from  the  educational  value  of 
such  an  interest  and  effort,  can  there  be  any  doubt  of  the  larger 
attraction  which  their  room  will  have  for  them  when  their  deco- 
rative scheme  has  been  carried  into  effect  ?  One  valuable  bit  of 
service  which  is  possible  to  young  people  at  this  age,  who  have  been 
properly  trained,  is  the  designing  of  appropriate  mottoes  for  the 
wall.  Their  manual  training  also  quaHfies  them  for  making  useful 
and  ornamental  articles,  not  only  for  their  own  room  but  for  other 
departments  as  well. 

Church  functions. — The  specific  service  which  we  have  mentioned 
here  is  the  designing  of  posters  and  place-cards.  The  interest 
awakened  by  a  fine  poster  and  the  pleasure  given  by  an  appro- 
priate and  dainty  place-card  make  this  service  significant  and 
desirable.  To  some  this  may  seem  too  advanced  a  form  of  service 
to  expect.  But  if  the  young  people  have  been  properly  trained  it 
is  quite  within  their  ability.  Young  people  like  to  be  honored  by 
significant  tasks  that  call  for  ability  and  ingenuity  and  there  are 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  145 

few  mistakes  more  fatal  than  a  failure  to  appreciate  this  desire  for 
recognition. 

A  scholarship. — In  the  prosecution  of  its  work  the  Juvenile  Pro- 
tective Association  frequently  comes  across  a  child  who  would  like 
to  continue  his  studies  throughout  the  high-school  course,  but  who 
is  compelled  to  discontinue  his  work  because  of  the  financial  con- 
dition of  the  family.  One  method  of  the  association  is  to  say  to 
the  parents,  ''How  much  would  the  earnings  of  this  child  amount 
to  in  a  year?"  Then  a  class  either  alone  or  in  combination  with 
other  classes  undertakes  to  provide  this  amount  of  money.  The 
designation  of  it  as  a  scholarship  places  it  upon  a  dignified  basis. 
This  is  a  task  for  boys  of  the  third  and  fourth  years  in  high  school. 

A  week  in  the  country. — Mention  of  this  is  made  here  for  the 
purpose  of  calling  the  attention  of  country  Sunday  schools  to  a  very 
valuable  and  practicable  service  which  lies  at  their  door.  It  ought 
to  be  very  easy  for  a  Sunday-school  class  in  the  countr}^  to  enter- 
tain one  or  two  children  for  a  week  in  the  summer. 

Collection  of  papers. — English  is  spoken  in  many  of  the  foreign 
mission  fields.  In  these  places  such  papers  as  Christian  Endeavor 
World,  Youth's  Companion,  Classmate,  Forward,  and  illustrated 
papers  are  of  special  value.  In  the  Philippines  600,000  public-school 
children  and  their  9,000  teachers  are  eager  for  papers  in  English. 

Reporting  stray  animals. — Besides  suffering  themselves  from 
exposure  and  hunger  stray  dogs  and  cats  are  a  social  menace.  It 
is  therefore  both  an  act  of  kindness  and  of  social  protection  to 
report  them  to  the  Anti-Cruelty  Society. 

Erection  of  a  fountain. — In  addition  to  being  very  ornamental,  a 
fountain  in  front  of  a  church  constitutes  a  distinctive  contribution 
to  the  social  welfare.  All  too  frequently  watering-troughs  are  in 
front  of  saloons  with  the  result  that  cartmen  feel  under  obligation 
to  patronize  the  saloon  when  watering  their  horses.  A  church 
fountain  is,  therefore,  a  fine  piece  of  constructive  social  endeavor, 
as  well  as  an  act  of  humanity  and  thoughtfulness. 

Participation  in  civic  improvement. — Many  a  town  would  be  a 
far  more  desirable  place  in  which  to  live  if  its  streets  were  neater, 
its  alleys  cleaner,  and  its  vacant  lots  more  tidy  and  ornamental. 
That  boys  will  respond  to  an  appeal  of  this  nature  is  abundantly 
demonstrated  by  the  Garden  Cities  of  Worcester. 


146 


THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 


Objects  of  Senrice 


Home  church , 


The  community. 


The  larger  world , 
Animals 


2. 

3- 
4- 
5- 


§  7.      YOUNG   people's   DEPARTMENT 
Ages  eighteen  to  twenty-one 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Regular  contributions  to  the  current  expenses  of  the 
church. 

2.  Promotion  of  class  welfare  and  friendly  oversight  of 
class  members. 

3.  Personal  interest  in  boys  and  girls  of  the  church. 

4.  Conducting  walks  and  talks  on  Sunday  afternoon. 

5.  Editing  class  paper. 

6.  Ushering. 

7.  Rallying  of  the  young  people  to  attend  church  func- 
tions. 

I.  Entertaining  at  the  home  church  a  group  from  a 
settlement. 
Friendly  visiting. 

Making  layettes  for  District  Nurses'  Association. 
Tutoring  backward  children. 
Outings  and  picnics  for  poor  children. 

6.  Ser\dng    at    social    centers — teaching,    conducting 
games,  leading  classes. 

7.  Providing  a  pleasant  Sunday  afternoon  for  young 
men  and  women  who  live  in  boarding-houses. 

8.  Reading  to  the  sick,  the  aged,  and  the  blind. 

9.  Singing  at  Old  People's  Home. 
Giving  entertainments  at  almshouses  and  asylums. 
Auto  rides  for  shut-ins  and  convalescents. 
Disposing  of  work  made  by  inmates  of  almshouse. 
Clerical  work  at  district  office  of  United  Charities. 
Accompanying  patients  to  clinics,  and  friends  of 
patients  to  visit  them  at  hospital,  house  of  correc- 
tion, etc. 
Community  survey. 

16.  Co-operating  with  the  United  Charities  in  assisting 
family. 

Assisting    in    Sunday-evening    chapel    services    at 
county  hospital. 
Contributing  to  outgoing  patient's  wardrobe. 

1.  Adoption  of  the  church  scheme  of  benevolence. 

2.  More  elaborate  missionary  plays. 

Co-operation  with  humane  and  anti-cruelty  societies. 


10. 
II. 

12. 

13- 
14. 


IS 


17 


18 


GRADED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  147 

EXPLANATION 

Walks  and  talks. — In  the  modern  city  Sunday  afternoon  pre- 
sents a  serious  problem  in  the  moral  development  of  young  people. 
What  shall  they  do  ?  They  cannot  keep  quiet  and  they  will  not 
remain  by  themselves.  To  the  young  man  or  woman  who  knows 
something  of  botany,  ornithology,  or  geology  this  problem  presents 
a  rare  opportunity.  For  in  what  better  way  could  young  folks 
spend  a  Sunday  afternoon  than  in  walking  out  into  the  country 
and  in  learning  something  of  the  birds,  flowers,  and  stones  they 
pass,  while  under  the  helpful  influence  of  a  strong  young  man  or 
refined  young  woman  ? 

Editing  class  papers. — ^A  description  of  a  class  paper  which  is 
now  in  its  third  year,  and  has  proved  one  of  the  most  successful 
ventures  of  the  class,  may  be  worth  while.  This  paper  is  issued 
every  week  and  contains  eight  pages,  4iX5i-  inches  in  size.  The 
cover,  a  standard,  is  printed  in  quantities  with  the  name  and 
picture  of  the  church  on  the  front  and  a  list  of  the  class  officers  on 
the  back.  The  inside  pages  are  typewritten  and  multiplied  by  a 
duplicating  process.  Every  week  a  new  committee  is  appointed 
and  this  committee  assumes  full  responsibihty  both  for  the  contents 
and  for  the  cost  of  the  paper. 

Disposing  of  work  of  almshouse  inmates. — A  paragraph  from 
Dr.  Henderson's  Dependents,  Defectives,  and  Delinquents  will  explain 
this  form  of  service : 

A  very  needy  and  attractive  field  for  private  charity  at  the  poorhouse  is 
the  provision  of  employment  for  aged  women.  A  life  of  inactivity  and  aim- 
lessness  is  torture.  A  society  of  good  women  in  a  county,  imitating  the 
example  of  Lady  Brabazon  in  England,  could  furnish  materials  for  plain  and 
fancy  work,  and  aid  in  occasional  bazaars  for  the  benefit  of  the  unfortunate 
and  aged  people.  This  would  relieve  the  tedious  and  depressing  monotony 
of  the  almshouse  life,  bring  cheerful  motives  into  the  dull  existence,  and  awaken 
sisterly  interest  for  the  desolate  and  friendless  in  the  entire  community. 

Here  is  a  field  in  which  a  class  of  young  women  could  do  a  fine  piece 
of  social  service. 

Missionary  plays. — The  presentation  of  such  plays  as  The  Pil- 
grimage, Two  Thousand  Miles  for  a  Book,  Sunlight  and  Candlelight, 


148  THE  BIBLICAL  WORLD 

Slave  Girl  and  School  Girl,  is  a  field  of  endeavor  that  appeals  to 
young  people  and  is  sure  to  issue  in  a  more  intelligent  and  more 
vital  interest  in  the  missionary  enterprise.  Several  classes  in  a 
school  or  classes  from  several  schools  might  unite  their  forces  and 
by  selecting  those  most  gifted  with  dramatic  powers  give  a  really 
first-class  presentation  that  would  do  the  missionary  cause  good 
service. 


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